White Rain
by randomcat23
Summary: SEQUEL TO BLACKFIRE Vactioning has become a daily habit for Irvine and Moonbay. But, the tide turns with a mysterious attack. They once again set off to solve the new problem, but this time they have no leads and the problem is unclear. IM COMPLETE
1. Vacation

Hello, hello, hello! Welcome to the awaited (maybe?) sequel to Blackfire. (Looks around) It's been awhile hasn't it? (Falls over) Me and my slow 'plot-making'. Well, here it is, the sequel. Whee.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Vacation**

Sometimes, it was hard believe that just six months had pass since the battle at Blackfire. Hard to believe that summer was gone and those warm months had now turned into winter blowing its bitter wind. Every once in awhile, Moonbay looked back and was amazed that she was finally getting a vacation. A six month vacation, and it still was going on!

Of course, it hadn't been all beaches and swaying palm trees. It was just as Irvine had said, 'traveling aimlessly'. Aimlessly across Planet Zi with more cash than either of them ever laid hands on. When Moonbay thought about this, she realized that the only things the money bought were hotel rooms, cooked dinner and the rare tourist fee for an attraction.

Course, the tourist fees usually were a waste of the cash considering the fact that both Irvine and Moonbay had seen more exciting things happen in one minute than during the hour tour. And she still couldn't get Irvine to let her go on a shopping spree. Course, if she had that much money, it probably would have been long spent by now.

But, none the less, both travelers continued vacationing, without work or worry for these six whole months, and there was no sign of stopping. The Gustav tooled along across the land carrying the rare Lightning Saix and its two passengers. Moonbay always sat in the driver's seat, humming or trying to get Irvine into a conversation. He, on the other hand, spent time sleeping or lazing around the front seat.

She knew Irvine too well to take any offense; the man never did talk much. And in public she knew not to expect much 'romantic action' from Irvine either. But, the kisses and loving caresses that came in between it all never left Moonbay feeling disappointed or forgotten. That's just the way Irvine was.

And so, that's the way it had been for the last six months. Slowly making their way around, doing whatever came to their minds.

After a few days of endless forest, the Gustav pulled up outside a small town in the middle of the woods. Moonbay and Irvine threw a tarp over the pink zoid and Lightning Saix to protect them from the weather. Also, hiding them from any rouge person. . .no need to draw attention to themselves.

Snow was falling, twirling down out of the clouds and landing where ever it felt needed. After a half-mile walk, a small town came into view. The surrounding trees were decorated with the white fluff as were all the buildings in the town. Smoke flew out of most chimneys as Irvine and Moonbay walked toward the nearest building.

Moonbay shivered, "Sure got cold out here. The temperature must of dropped a few more degrees." She pulled her coat closer to her body. Her eyes looked over Irvine with a breath of amazement. "Do you ever get cold Irvine?" The mercenary still wore a similar outfit to what he wore in the summer, no added clothing.

"You wouldn't be so cold if you had a little more meat on your bones." His left arm wrapped around her shoulders. "Come on, lets go to the bar."

Moonbay peered out behind her coat, "We should get rooms first at the hotel. Then go to the bar."

"We won't have any trouble getting rooms, Moonbay. Who's gonna be visiting this town anyway?" He looked down at her shivering form. "Believe me, there will be rooms left." And with that he continued to steer her to the bar and pushed the door open.

Immediate warmth came over the couple as they brushed the snow off at the door and made their way to the bar stools. Moonbay tossed her coat on a hook and took a seat next to Irvine. The smell of alcohol and cigars drifted about the room and added to the scent of burning wood. Both ordered, Irvine paid, and they sat there drinking. The locals talked of bountiful game; it was a great hunting season.

As Irvine drank from his beer glass, Moonbay smiled, remembering a small bet they had made. About two months ago, Irvine brought up the fact (again) that he would like to see Moonbay with her hair down every once in a while. Moonbay countered that he shouldn't wear his eyepatch all the time. And so the bet was made; whoever went back to the old habit first had to call Thomas Shubaltz up on the phone and pretend to be Fiona. Childish? Yes. Fun? Most definitely.

So far, both had held up the end of the deal, and it looked as though the bet could go on forever. Both mercenary and transporter were too stubborn to let the other one win.

Moonbay cupped her mug of hot chocolate and glanced around the room again. Antlers and animal pelts hung from the walls along with several other odd nicknacks. No doubt it was a hunting town. _"This town is so far from any big city I guess it must be. And with all these woods, the prey is probably endless."_

"Ready to go?" Irvine's voice interrupted Moonbay's thoughts.

Taking one final gulp to finish off the cocoa, Moonbay nodded, got up and grabbed her coat. Irvine followed and as the two of them crossed the empty street, laughs and yells could still be heard from the bar building. After picking up their bags from the Gustav, the two searched for the hotel or inn or whatever this town had and made their way up the street. Stopping finally at the end of the street, Irvine opened the door, glad to see that the inn still had vacancy.

The lobby was empty except for the greeter who looked mighty awake for the present time. A grandfather clock sat in a corner and ticked ever closer to midnight. The warmth of the lobby matched that of the bar. "Hello, welcome to the Cherry Elk lodge."

Irvine dropped his bag and asked, "Yeah, I need two rooms."

Moonbay nodded in agreement. It was true that they had never shared a room before. It just never entered their minds. It hadn't been a problem to either of them.

The perky lobby man apologized, "Sorry, I'm afraid we only have one room available. We suddenly had a few more extra guests arrive earlier today." He then continued on ticking off all the room's special features on his fingers. He put way too much enthusiasm into his descriptions. Moonbay watched Irvine's hand twitch.

"_Oh boy, Irvine, don't go punching out the hotel greeter."_

"Alright, alright," Irvine put up a hand to silence the man. "We'll take the room."

"Ok, here are your keys," he tossed two at Irvine. "You'll find your room straight down this hallway and to the left. Number 19. Have a good night!"

"Yeah, yeah. You too." Irvine picked up the keys and his bag. With a jerk of his head in the direction of the room, he took off. Moonbay grabbed her bag and hurried after him. She clutched her bag to her chest and was deciding whether or not to say "told you so." If they had come earlier, a another room might have been available.

It wasn't too hard to find the room, there was only 20 rooms to begin with. Tucked away at the end of the hallway sat room 19, right across from 20 and the farthest from the lobby desk.

After placing the key in the lock, Irvine twisted it and the door slid open. A wave of cold air met the couple when they stepped into the dark room. Moonbay flicked on some lights and glanced around for a heater. None.

"What the hell kind of place is this?" Irvine tossed his bag against the wall and searched for the heater as well. "You're going to freeze, Moonbay, I can tell."

"Thanks." But Moonbay was already solving the problem. Inside the closet, Moonbay found an extra blanket and pillows. She pulled them out and threw them on the bed. With further inspection of the room, they found it had a twin sized bed, a pull-out-couch bed, two dusty chairs, a TV with five channels and a working shower with shampoo and towels.

"It's a good thing this didn't cost any more than I paid." Irvine grumbled. "No heater. . ." He continued to rattle off things that were wrong with the place. Moonbay shook her head.

"It's not that bad."

"Yeah well, if you say so." He plopped himself down on the couch and kicked off his shoes. "I'll take the couch bed."

"Alright, I got the bed then." Moonbay laid down on her bed and let out a sigh of relief. "When's the last time we slept in beds?"

Irvine rubbed his face, "Maybe a month or so. But, you've gone longer without one."

"Yes, but, once you get used to them, they never get old!"

"Ok, while you're obsessing over your bed, I'm going to take a shower." He picked some clothes and proceeded to the bathroom.

Moonbay propped herself up on her elbows. "Fine. I'll make your bed then." Jumping off the bed, Moonbay pulled the coach bottom out and laid out the bed. She placed the sheets on the extra pillows and tossed them on Irvine's bed. Frowning at the lack of blankets on his bed, she tossed the extra blanket on it as well. _"At least my bed has a comforter." _

With another sigh she closed her eyes and sat on the bed again. Opening them, they caught sight of the couch bed, and she began to wonder. _"If one of these beds were gone, Irvine and I would have to share a bed. . ."_

Shaking her head again, Moonbay cleared those thoughts. Who knew if that would ever happen.

* * *

Irvine turned the shower handle and waited for the water to heat up. Stripping, he stepped into the shower and let the warm water run down his muscular body, relaxing. He washed quickly and got out, grabbing a towel. Staring into the mirror, he decided not to shave and took notice of the new scar above his left eye. A permanent reminder of the battle with the Geno Breaker. He put on his red headband and slipped into a comfy pair of pants. Towel draped over his bare shoulders, he opened the door and stepped into the unheated room. 

"Aww, how sweet, you fixed up the bed for me." His sarcasm woke Moonbay from her daze and she smirk back.

"Oh, your welcome." Figuring he was done with the bathroom, she picked up her clothes and took over the shower. Scrubbing the grit and dirt out of her hair felt heavenly. Moonbay lathered some soap in her hands and brushed it all over her body, spreading the scent of lavender. After stepping out and drying off, Moonbay put on pajama pants and a large T-shirt. Her hands went to her pocket for a hair tie, but she caught herself. No way was she going to break the bet now! She was smiling when she exited the room and continued to dry her hair with the towel.

Her eyes glanced at Irvine, laying on the bed with his hands linked behind his head. "You asleep, Irvine?"

His right eye popped open. "Of course not. Not with all the noise." He smirked at her.

"I could have guessed." Her body stood over his and she lowered herself to kiss him. "Night Irvine."

"Night, Moonbay."

Moonbay climbed into her bed, trying to ignore the chill in the air. While pulling the covers up as far as they would go, she paused and listened to the howling wind outside. Shrugging, she curled up and wished for warm summer nights.

* * *

An hour had pass since Moonbay went to bed. The clock blinked 2:34. She had spent the last hour shivering and trying to find any kind of warmth. But the non-heated room proved too cold for her and she remained awake. There was no hope for slumber tonight. 

Moonbay turned over again and looked at the window. Warmth. Must find a way. Her body shifted again and faced Irvine. It looked like he found sleep. _"Of course, he'd never notice the cold."_ Her black eyes widened at the sudden thought. _"Would he let me in his bed?"_ A sneaky grin formed on her tired face. It seemed like an innocent reason to hop in bed with him. _"Oh, Moonbay you're a bad girl."_ Her mouth let out a small giggle.

Sitting up, she placed her feat firmly on the cold floor. Her hand landed on Irvine's sheets and she lifted them up.

"Whatta you wan' Moon'?" His speech was slurred from sleep; he must have been extremely tired, he never slurred his words. Irvine rolled over and his droopy eyes met hers, waiting for an answer.

Her voice was lower than a whisper, "Irvine, it's too cold for sleep." He raised an eyebrow. "Well for me to sleep." For whatever reason, she couldn't finish, couldn't ask. Maybe he'd get the idea.

Irvine yawned and lifted up the covers. "Come on."

Slightly taken aback by his simple answer, she paused and then climbed in when he asked, "Well, ya commin' or not?" Even with the awkwardness of the situation, she couldn't help but laugh at his talking.

"Thanks, Irvine." She felt better already.

"Yeah." He nodded and watched her curl under the sheets. Moonbay's back faced him, her hair sprawled across the pillows. _"Eh, what the hell."_ Irvine rolled over and draped his arm over Moonbay's stomach, pulling her to his chest. Her body stiffened against his. "How do you think you're gonna stay warm if you curl up in a ball on your own?"

Her soft reply came, "I don't know."

"That's what I thought. Now loosen up, I don't bite." Irvine decided to take advantage of the situation. He pulled her closer still and his fingers traced invisible lines along her soft, exposed stomach. Irvine buried his head in Moonbay's hair, taking in its scent. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, "You poor, pathetic cold person."

Moonbay snuggled against him, "I know." Her body shifted to face him. Irvine's warm body was so close; she felt his warmth and protectiveness sweep over her like a blanket. Even in the dark Moonbay could make out his features. The spikes of his hair, the curve of his mouth and the color of his eyes. She licked her lips and pressed them to his, for a sweet, short kiss. Their lips lingered, touching, and then Irvine kissed her again. Breaking away, Moonbay rolled over so her back pressed against his chest. Irvine pulled her close, arms wrapped around her, and they both drifted asleep.

(End)

* * *

Ah, I lied. You know how I said at the end of Blackfire that I wouldn't post until the fic was finished? Well, I lied. This fic isn't finished...it's not all typed up yet. But I do have the whole thing planned out so, (crosses fingers) the updates _should_ come pretty regularly. Every other week or so. I apologize in advance for any delays. 

Ok, so not much happened in this chappie. I thought I would make the first one kind of a 'welcome back with some fluffy-ness' chapter. So here it is, first chapter done. Don't forget to review, please! -randomcat23


	2. Snow Falling

Chap'ta two! Wootness. Hmm, these chapters are getting longer and longer and longer. . .. (falls over and dies) Thanks to all readers and reviewers!

Can you believe I almost forgot to post the chapter this weekend? Man, my mind is in a jumble. Well, you can blame the new Harry Potter movie for my forgetfulness. Won't happen again. (Crosses fingers)

**Notes to reviewers:** (throws confetti over you guys)

**StriderX:** Aww, I'm so glad you liked the first chapter. You flatter me. LOL. Well, I promise to keep the updates flowing, somebody has to update around here! (strikes a pose) It might as well be me, however inconsistent I am.

**Crimson Bride:** (takes a bow) Thanks for reviewing! Oh, yeah. I plan on throwing Shiro and Vicky in here. (third chapter. . hint..hint) But, I also have a chapter (well, a side chapter) dedicated to just them, so, whenever that's finished it'll be up as a bonus chapter. Glad you like them!

**IrvineSano: **Thankies! New stories are jolly good fun aren't they? Haha.

**Scratchit:** Hoo ray. I'm so glad you enjoyed Blackfire, and I hope you enjoy this little fic too. Thanks for the review!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Snow Falling**

Sun seeped through the thick drapes on the windows. Irvine blinked, his sleep disrupted. Frowning, he left the bed and attempted to block out the increasing light. Unsuccessful, he peered out the frosty window at a world coated in white. It had snowed more than he thought.

His mouth opened with a yawn. Scratching the back of his head, he picked up a shirt and pulled it on. Coffee. He needed coffee. The mercenary bent down and found his boots and slipped them on. He took one last glimpse at a sleeping Moonbay, smirked, and walked out the door. The inn stood silent. Even the perky greeter must have been sleeping. _"No matter, I just wanted coffee anyway."_ By glancing around, he saw that the only coffee machine was sitting behind the counter, right where the greeter was last night.

Another look around, and Irvine hopped the counter and grabbed two mugs. Since the coffee was already made, his job became easier. Irvine simply poured coffee in the cups and walked out the little door on the side of the counter. Gripping the door so it wouldn't slam, Irvine took notice of the 'Staff Only' sign. Shrugging it off, Irvine made his way back to the room, wondering what the penalty was for stealing coffee.

Moonbay remained asleep, even as Irvine took a seat in one of the chairs and drank his coffee. He was feeling more awake with every sip. As he kicked off his shoes, Moonbay shifted and settled back down, still sleeping. Irvine laughed, she must have really remained awake last night before hopping in his bed.

"_I can't believe it took her a whole hour to wake me up." _In all honesty, Irvine had throughly enjoyed having Moonbay sleep next to him. Right in the same bed. To tell the truth, he always slept better with her around.

It wasn't long after Irvine got back that Moonbay finally woke up. She started noticing the absence of Irvine's body next to hers and rolled over. She sat up and stretched, and spotted Irvine drinking his black coffee. Slipping out of bed, she stood up, looking at Irvine.

"So you're finally up."

She placed her hands on her hips, "It sure seems that way." He shrugged. "I hope you got coffee for me."

He was in the middle of a sip when he pointed at the desk. And there sat Moonbay's mug. She took it with a word of thanks. "Did you get me a thing of cream?"

Irvine dug in his pants pocket and pulled out a little package of cream. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it at her. "You actually thought I forgot?"

She laughed, his sarcasm filled every word he said. Her finger opened up the cream and she poured the white liquid in the dark coffee, turning it milky brown. She took a sip, smiling at its warmth, and sat down on the empty chair. "So what do we have planned for today?"

Irvine shrugged again, finally done with his coffee, "Whatever you want. Did you see it outside? It must have snowed like hell yesterday."

With a small yawn, she pulled back the curtains and was amazed at the depth of the snow. "It must be at least three feet out there."

"Something like that."

"A good day to stay indoors." She took the blanket and wrapped it around her. Irvine shook his head at her.

"You are pathetic."

Moonbay stuck her tongue out at him, "No, you're just inhuman." Her remark was answered with a chuckle.

"Come here, Moonbay."

"What?"

"Just come here, you stubborn ass."

She put on a defying face, but a smile escaped her lips. "Asshole."

Irvine rolled his eyes, "Yeah, thank you." He got up and grabbed her arm, pulling her down to the chair with him. He positioned her on his lap and secured his arms around her waist. "Just sit here, or you'll probably freeze to death." He breathed into the back of her head.

Moonbay leaned her head back, placing it on his shoulder. Her head turned and planted a kiss on his jawbone. "I wouldn't freeze to death."

"How would you know? You had to be in my bed last night just so you could sleep."

"Oh, don't pretend you didn't like it."

Smirking he replied, "I'm not." Irvine stood up, carrying Moonbay in his arms and dropped her on the bed. "You can stay there while I go to town."

Moonbay blew the hair out of her face, "And what are you going to do in town?"

He locked himself in the bathroom and changed out of his sleeping clothes. "I thought I might head back down to the bar."

Moonbay leaped up. "Again?"

"If you're good maybe I'll let you go shopping."

"I don't need your permission to go shopping."

"Yeah, but who carries the money around here?" Patting his pocket, he walked out of the bathroom and Moonbay took his place.

She grumbled, "I would if I had money to carry."

"Yes, yes, if you had any." Irvine emphasized the word 'if' and flipped through the cash currently in his hand. "If you ask nicely, I'll give you some."

From inside the bathroom Moonbay spoke, "Give?" she laughed, "You never give anything away."

"Well, maybe I'm just being nice."

Moonbay narrowed her eyes. "Irvine, I don't believe you."

Irvine rolled his eyes. "Just take the money so you can't complain about me not treating you."

"I never said that." She exited the bathroom, dressed and ready to go.

"Oh, you know you were thinking it." He was playing with her, yet again.

"Fine hand it here." She held her hand out and he dropped cash into it. Moonbay glanced at the amount. "You really don't need to do this."

"Oh, shut up, Moonbay." Irvine smirked. "Don't pretend you have no love for money."

The transporter girl pocketed the money, "You know me too well."

He smirked in response and ushered her out the door. The lobby was just as warm as it was the night before; this came as a moment's relief before the coldness of the winter leaked in through the open door. Outside, the sky remained white, clouds masking the sun's light. Snow settled on everything and even now, a few flakes fluttered down from the white clouds above.

Looking up at the town clock, Irvine asked, "Meet me in the bar around two?"

Moonbay nodded, "For lunch?"

"Yeah, that gives you an hour and a half." His eyes glanced down at her. "That's if you can hold on to that money that long."

She frowned. "I am a responsible shopper."

Irvine laughed and proceeded over to the bar, waving over his shoulder. With a small wave back, Moonbay looked up and made her way the street. Despite the fact that the town was so small, it sure had its fair share of shops. Everything was accounted for: Berty's Shoe Store, Zi's Home Owners, and even the simply titled flower shop, Wild Flowers. Moonbay enjoyed strolling up and down the street, window shopping, and every once in a while stopping in to take a closer look.

In an hour, Moonbay had bought herself new boots, a book for Fiona (Me and My Odd Coffee Habits), and a small ring made by the local craftsman as a souvenir. Checking her watch, Moonbay decided that she had time for one more stop. She peered in a trinket shop and opened the door.

The owner waved a 'hello' and got back to helping another customer. Her eyes led her to a display on zoid models. The small zoids had 'moveable parts and detailed expressions'. Her finger trailed down the stacks of boxes and she was surprised to find every kind of zoid imaginable. Even the Lightning Saix. _"They have this and there is only one Saix on Zi. For now anyway."_ Moonbay also found the models for the Blade Ligar, Gustav, and Deathsaur. She shuddered at the last one.

Moving down the isle her eyes widened when she found zoid bobble-heads. Almost laughing with delight, she quickly looked at the ones on display. All of them were covered in fuzzy material with their heads bobbing. Moonbay laughed again when she found the Lightning Saix. _"There's no way I can pass this up."_ Satisfied, she walked up to the front to pay.

"Find everything, Miss?"

She nodded and placed the bobble-head on the counter. "This is all."

The man chuckled, "These are quiet popular, I myself find them ridiculous."

Moonbay laughed slightly, "Yeah, but that makes them fun. I was surprised you carried the Lightning Saix."

"It has become quiet popular since Blackfire. Ever since the events reached ours and the rest of the world's ears, requests for the 'Black Lightning' have skyrocketed."

"Yeah, it's amazing." Moonbay sighed, she didn't want to bring attention to herself or to the fact that the only Lightning Saix was parked right outside the town's entrance.

"Tis' a shame we don't know the pilot's name, though. It would be great to meet 'im."

"Yeah, I bet he's quite the character." A smile tugged at her lips.

He rung up the bobble-head and asked for the money. Moonbay paid and waited for a receipt. "Yep," the man continued, "did you know that the Lightning Saix was originally made for some high ranking army official?" (A.N.: Ah, yeah, this is slightly off, but, hey work with me here.)

Moonbay blinked, "No." She took her bag.

"Yep, but they ended up handing it over to the current pilot. I heard the guy wasn't even in the army, but I say good for him. Some of those commanding officers get too much." He closed his eyes thoughtfully for a moment.

"Well, thanks." Moonbay gave a smile.

"Have a nice day, miss."

When Moonbay met up with Irvine, he was seated at the bar, drinking. She handed back the change from her shopping. "I'm impressed Moonbay, you managed to save some of my money."

"If you wanted me to spend it all, you should have told me."

"Right. Well you wanna head over to that little diner on the corner? I'm hungry, and they don't serve lunch here." He got up, patting his stomach and the two of them walked out the door. The wind started blowing, tossing up the light snow into the air.

Moonbay huddled close to Irvine, welcoming any extra warmth. Her hair blew in the wind, into her face. _"That bet we made is becoming a BIG pain." _She spit rouge hair out of her mouth. Irvine chuckled at her.

"Poor, poor Moonbay."

"Shut up Irvine." She pushed pass him and opened the door to the diner. Her hands pulled out of her coat and she draped it over her arm. The waitress sat them quickly in a booth, leaving them with menus.

Irvine peered over his menu. All Moonbay could see was his eyes. "What did you get?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Moonbay answered as she dug in her bags showing off everything she got. Irvine just grunted in response at her boots and ring. A small laugh escaped him when she showed him Fiona's book.

"She'll like that one."

"Yeah, her and Dr. Dee. What would we do without them?" Her hand reached and grabbed the bobble-head box. "Wait until you see this." She placed it on the table as Irvine set his menu down.

"What the hell is that?"

"Isn't it cute? It's a Lightning Saix bobble-head." Moonbay opened the box and placed the fuzzy, little, zoid in front of Irvine. His head mimicked the little Saix's.

His finger poked it, "And what are you going to do with this?"

Moonbay shrugged, "Put it on my Gustav's dashboard."

Irvine eyed her. "You're kidding me." She shook her head and smiled.

"The guy in the store said they were popular ever since Blackfire." She stared at him.

"Ah." His eyes narrowed, "That." He touched the zoid again, smirking.

Moonbay folded her arms on the table. "Hey, Irvine." He looked up at the mention of his name. "Did you know that the Saix was originally meant for an army officer?"

Irvine shrugged, "Who told you that?"

"Just the owner of the shop." She watched the Lightning Saix again. "I thought that was interesting."

"I'm not surprised. It's not like they were planning on giving it away to some mercenary. They must have had plans for it."

"Yeah, too bad you didn't want publicity after Blackfire. If what the man said is correct, than people would be flocking all over you. The Lightning Saix is quite the money catcher, even if the pilot is unknown."

"Yeah, scary to think about it, isn't it?"

At that time the waitress came back and took their orders. Irvine and Moonbay sat waiting for the food to come, talking about simple things and watching the snow fall outside. The food came soon after, warm and steaming.

Irvine ate is burger in a few bites, now munching on the fries. Moonbay stabbed at her salad and took a bite out of her sandwich. Over all, the food was good. Irvine glanced around the room, only a few other customers there. _"Is this town ever busy? What happened to all those extra customers at the inn last night?"_

Moonbay finished up her meal and Irvine paid for the whole thing, leaving a tip. "So what now?" Moonbay asked.

"I dunno." They had left the dinner and now were walking up the road. "How long do we plan on staying here anyway?"

The sun peaked through the clouds as Moonbay spoke, "Not too much longer, there's not much here."

"Okay, let's plan on departing tomorrow then."

* * *

The rest of the day was spent visiting other shops around the town and buying hot chocolate around dinner time. Dinner was as simple as hot dogs and drinks at the bar. The sky was dark by the time Irvine and Moonbay finished dinner and found themselves on the streets again, unsure of what to do.

"Let's check on the Zoids since we're leaving tomorrow." Irvine suggested as the wind kicked up again. Moonbay agreed.

Everything was fine, both Zoids had remained safe. They were covered in snow, but in tact. Moonbay placed her purchases in the Gustav and began cleaning off the Zoid. Both mercenary and transporter brushed the large amount of snow off the Zoids which proved difficult. The snow had built up around the large mechanical animals, limiting Irvine and Moonbay's movement. After an hour, most the snow was gone and the Zoids ready to go for the next day.

"I hope it doesn't snow anymore." Moonbay shivered again. She let out a gasp as snow ran down her back. When she turned around Irvine stood holding a snowball, smirking at her.

"You're an easy target, Moonbay." He tossed another at her, she dodged.

"Not that easy, mercenary." Moonbay hid behind the Gustav and rolled the snow in her hands, making a ball. After sitting up she looked for Irvine. Snow fell on her head and she looked up, disgusted. Irvine was perched on the Gustav's back, smirking, his eyes gleaming.

"Too easy, transporter."

"Irvine!" Moonbay yelled and tossed the snow ball at him. All he did was laugh and jump down. His hands went to make another snowball, but Moonbay was quicker and the coldness of snow contacted with Irvine's face.

"Moonbay." He growled.

"Oh, so it's ok for you to hit me, but not for me to hit you?" She planted her hands on her waist. Irvine cocked his head to the side as if to say, 'Yeah, how dare you.' Moonbay let out a yelp suddenly when Irvine charged at her, fully armed with snowballs in both hands. She turned on her heel and ran into the woods. The effort was hard because of the depth of the snow. And Irvine was closing in, his legs were longer and more powerful.

Moonbay laughed, her breath making little clouds in the cold night. Deeper and deeper into the forest they ran, around trees and throwing snowballs in between dashes. Moonbay's dark eyes widened when she reached a clearing in the trees. Irvine chuckled behind her as he hit her again with a snowball.

"What you stopping for, Moonbay? Too much for you?"

"Look." She took a step into the clearing and stared up at the night sky, the stars shining. The moonlight lit up the little area, making the snow sparkle. The light in the clearing seemed out of place with the dark surrounding woods. Moonbay walked into the clearing, dropping the snow ball in hand.

"It's beautiful." Her hands flew out and she then spun around, her hair twirling around. In mid-spin she dropped on to her back, gazing up at clear night sky. Moonbay looked over at where Irvine was standing. He leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest, shaking his head. A smirk was painted on his face and he watched her make an snow angle. "Come on Irvine, it's fun."

"You're only going to make yourself freeze."

Moonbay rolled over, her hands pushing her body up. While resting in the snow, she sat in the moonlight, her hands sifting through the white powder. Irvine came over and plopped down next to her, turning his head toward the sky. Moonbay lowered her head and playfully tossed snow into Irvine's serious face. Her laughter mixed with noise of the woods.

A single hand brushed the snow off his face, "Now, that was uncalled for." His head shook, sending the snow flying.

"Oh, please." Moonbay smirked. "It's just pay back."

Irvine watched as she stood up and brought her coat closer to her body. He reached up and took her hand in his. Her dark eyes shined in the darkness when she looked down at him. He was just sitting there in the snow, gripping her hand as if to say, 'We're not leaving yet'. It was almost a plea. The wind whistled through the trees, bringing a colder chill to the air. Irvine leaned back, bringing Moonbay down on his chest. Silence drifted over the area.

Their eyes locked, both sets never wavering. His hand slid behind her head, pulling her mouth to his. The kiss was hungry yet sweet and loving. Irvine's other hand sat securely around Moonbay's waist, never loosening. Her hands played with his almond hair, making sure his head wouldn't back away. The coldness of the night melted away as their bodies pressed together, both exchanging passionate kisses. Their lips melded together for countless moments before ending. Breaking apart, they smirked at each other, their eyes still staring.

Moonbay rested her head on Irvine's shoulder, her hands at her sides, playing with the snow. It was times like these that should last forever. His hand absentmindedly ran though her hair, brushing out of her eyes so he could take a better look at them. At that moment, it didn't matter that it was below freezing or that the wind picked up again.

From deep in the wooded area, a loud howl echoed through the night, shattering the silence that Irvine and Moonbay were enjoying. Both were on their feet within seconds, their eyes wide and searching for the howl's owner. Another growl came from the opposite direction in the woods. Moonbay turned around and saw nothing. Irvine moved his hand so it was in between her and the trees.

"Don't move, there's something right on the wood's edge." His other hand was already holding a gun, fully loaded and ready for use.

Yet another loud, mournful cry rang in their ears, making Irvine grip the gun tighter. A sudden scream made Irvine whip his head around only to see Moonbay kick a large dog off of her. _"What the hell? I didn't even hear the damn thing!"_ Moonbay kneeled to the ground, her hand gripping a large bite in her left arm.

Irvine kneeled down, placing a hand tightly on her shoulder. His arm linked under her right arm and pulled her up. "We gotta get out of here." He wasn't looking at Moonbay, but at the increasing amount of wild dogs arriving at the edge of the clearing.

Moonbay nodded and prepared to make a dash for it, her hand still clasping her bloody arm. "Where did they all come from?" She whispered, wincing at the pain.

Irvine frowned, "Doesn't matter does it?" His eyes narrowed with anger.

With their teeth bared, snarling, the canines stepped closer, their bodies lighting up with the moon. Their muscled legs rippled with every move. Barks and growls echoed through the area as they took off running, but not into the woods, unfortunately. Instead they sprinted and surrounded the two people, their golden eyes never leaving their prey. Irvine took aim and shot at the dogs. Anger filled eyes watched as the injured dog fell, now with hole in its chest.

Another dog leaped and clawed Irvine and Moonbay. The mercenary's boot contacted with the dog's body and thrust it away. Nothing seemed to distract these dogs; the remaining ones still snarled and crouched, they were prepared to fight. Out of the corner of his eye, Irvine saw an opening, and dragged Moonbay with him. The hunters pursued, howling and leaping whenever the chance came. Teeth and claws ripped and tore clothing, leaving scratches on both Irvine and Moonbay.

Moonbay's breathing became heavy, her legs refusing movement, yet she sprinted on. Air was not coming fast enough, but somehow her body kept moving, moving because of the need to live. Her body dodged a jumping dog. _"Why are they after us?"_

"_Where is the end of the forest?" _The thought was desperate.

Irvine ran backwards at one point and stopped, firing at every dog in sight. His mind was racing, he could really have used his eyepatch at the moment. A few bite marks on his body dripped crimson into the white snow. He knew Moonbay was running for the Gustav, but his mind kept asking him, _"Where's Moonbay, is she safe?"_

A growl came from the left and he turned, only to be tackled by a drooling canine. Teeth dug into Irvine's shoulder, and claws slashed. He rolled over, grabbed its fur, and tossed it. The snarling dog hit a tree and retaliated, attacking again. It never reached Irvine, however, because a bullet shot through its head. Irvine jumped up and continued running.

His grey eyes watched as Moonbay evaded another attacker, kicking its body on the ground. The howls continued to follow them as they raced through the woods and jumped into the Gustav as the dogs began another attack. With a slam, the cockpit shut, blocking out the canines who clawed the metal. Frozen, Irvine and Moonbay waited until the scratching stopped. Blood dripped down their bodies, theirs and the dogs. The retreating hunters' howls broke the silence of the forest and they ran off, defeated. . .for now.

Moonbay's eyes were glued to the window, darting at every movement. The minutes ticked by, both occupants waiting for a confirmation that the beasts had left. Their breathing returned to normal and both relaxed. Moonbay sat up and placed herself in Irvine's lap, her good arm gripping his shoulder weakly. Irvine cradled Moonbay in his arms, his face injured but staring out of the cockpit, wondering. His eyes came down and glanced at Moonbay when he noticed the weight gone from his arms. How were they supposed to react to this? Shaking, Irvine asked, "You have any bandages in here?"

Unable to talk, she just shook her head. Moonbay flinched in pain as she moved her arm. Though her arm was stiff and bleeding, she still managed to look over Irvine, noticing every injury, every bruise. Irvine lifted her arm slowly and studied the bite in her arm. Rubbing his head, confused and lost for words, he untied his headband and slipped it around Moonbay's arm. Gingerly, he bandaged the bleeding appendage and gave a little tug, causing Moonbay to twitch. The rest of the cuts would have to wait until morning, because both had no energy left, and no will to step outside the protective zoid.

They fell asleep in each others arms.

* * *

For once, I have nothing to say. Odd. Well, please review! -randomcat23 


	3. Why We're Alone

Ta-dah. Chapter three.

Hey, anybody know where you can download the songs 'Chase' and 'Into Yourself' from Zoids? I've been looking for them forever and can't find them anywhere. If you know of a place, please let me know. I would glomp you to death!

Ah, yeah, I lied again. This chapter is over a week late. (Smacks head) Well, thanks to all readers!

**Special uber-thanks to my reviewers:  
****StriderX,** **IrvineSano, Crimson Bride**

* * *

**Chapter 3:** **Why We're Alone**

Aches. And then the pains. Moonbay's eyes cracked open. Her body was stiff, but not totally battered. In an attempt to prove to herself that it was all a bad dream, her arm lifted up as she gazed at it. Dry blood, scratches, scabs, pain. Wonderful. So, it had happened after all.

Her right fingers stuck together; they were still covered in her own blood and who knew what else. Separating them, she sat up slowly so not to wake up Irvine. That proved impossible. Irvine watched her remove herself from his chest and sit in the opposite seat.

He reached out to take her injured arm, but she pulled away. "It's fine, really."

Apparently nobody ever told Irvine how to listen to people. The mercenary sat up and softly closed his hand around her wrist, pulling the arm for a closer look. The headband was still damp with blood. "We're going to have to get that checked out," When she began to shake her head he said, "For infection."

Nodding, Moonbay opened the cockpit and jumped out into the snow. Claw marks now tattooed the Gustav's exterior. The transporter bit her lip in frustration.

Irvine followed Moonbay into town. The little settlement of houses and shops remained silent. The sun had just risen, painting the sky a pale yellow. Unlike the town, however, Moonbay's mind was swarming with noisy thoughts. The attack from last night had imprinted countless questions in her head. The dogs could not have been wild. The way they relentlessly attacked. . . there was no reason for wild dogs to attack them. Wild animals only turned to humans for food when there was a game shortage. From the looks of things, there had been no game shortage around here.

Rounding a corner, the couple came upon the local doctor. _"Thank God it's open." _Her hand trailed to her new wound as Irvine pushed the glass door open.

"Welcome to Dr. Pengun's office. Woah, shit, what happened to you?" The speaker was a young man, about sixteen, sitting behind a counter with a clip board settled on his lap. His shirt sported a clip–on–tag with the words 'temporary secretary' printed on it; the words had hand-drawn quotation marks around them. "Hey, Gramps, you got some needy costumers." His eyes darted to the back room.

A calm, kind voice answered, "Derek, how many times must I tell you that they are patients, not costumers? And watch your language, young man." The doctor appeared in the doorway, gloves on his hands and sporting a long white coat. "I must apologize for my grandson's actions. What seems to be the problem?"

"Gramps, are you frickin' blind? Her arm is about to fall off."

Moonbay spoke up, "It's not that bad."

The boy, Derek, tossed a pair of glasses at this grandfather. The old man caught them and positioned them on his nose. He stepped toward Moonbay and she held out her arm. His green eyes widened, "What have you been doing to receive these marks?" Dr. Pengun produced some handy bandages from his pocket and removed the bloody headband.

"Well, it's an odd story to begin with, Doctor." Moonbay took the headband and followed the doctor into the back room. Irvine took a seat in the lobby, staring off into space.

"Believe me, I've heard some crazy ones in my life." Dr. Pengun, gestured for Moonbay to take a seat. He went to the cabinet and pulled out a small bottle of something-or-another and turned to his patient. "So, let's here it." While listening to the tale, he inspected the wound, cleaned it, and bandaged it.

"You're sure they weren't wolves? There are a few packs of them around here."

"Positive. They looked more like hounds. The snout was too wide to be a wolf ." Moonbay sighed. "It was weird to see such dogs chase after us like they did."

"I don't think any of the townspeople have dogs like the ones you described. And no one around here has that amount of dogs either. You are right, it is an odd tale. Might I suggest that you take it to the police?"

"We just might do that. Nothing else really to do. . ."

Dr. Pengun fixed his glasses. "Did your friend in there get bit too?"

"Irvine? He got scratched up pretty bad but," she saw his attempt to talk, "Thanks, Doc, but I doubt you'll ever get Irvine to be bandaged by you. It's just the way he is."

He closed his mouth, "I see. Well, then," he prepared a bottle of pills, "take one of these antibiotics everyday until they're gone, just in case of infection." Moonbay nodded her thanks and walked to the exit.

"And for your friend's sake, keep an eye on his wounds, for infection."

With a smile Moonbay agreed, "Sure will, Doc. Thanks again." She walked passed Derek–who was snoozing in the chair–and into the lobby. Irvine looked up at her presence, and stood.

"Alright then?"

"For now. You have money on you? We gotta pay."

Irvine handed some cash to Moonbay. She placed it on the counter and said thanks again to Dr. Pengun.

Producing the headband from her pocket, Moonbay gave it to Irvine with a word of thanks. He brushed it off with a "Had to stop the bleeding" excuse, but took it anyway. The mercenary and transporter exited the small office and stepped once again into the cold winter air.

"You didn't tell him too much did you?"

Moonbay smiled, "Of course not, just enough to satisfy his questions."

"Because what we really don't need is fifty people running around, interfering with our business."

"I know that." She sighed, "We do, however, need to figure out why those dogs attacked us."

Irvine kicked at a pile of snow. "I have a feeling, that wasn't a freak accident."

"I know, something about it just wasn't right." She paused and watched her breath float away. "So, what are we going to do about it?"

"I think we should pay a visit to a few people. Get some answers. Get some ideas as to what or who it was."

"Yeah, but who knows anything about random dog attacks? It's such an un-military way of attacking. And the military is where all our comrades are."

The mercenary leaned against a black light post. "How about we take a visit to Blackfire?"

"Oh, Shiro." Moonbay grinned at Irvine's thoughts. "He's about as 'un-military' as they come. And he might know of someone who uses dogs as an attack force."

"Yeah, so how far is it from here? A day or two?"

Moonbay shrugged, "I think that's about right. But, you know, Irvine, we should really find out if it really was a planned attack. I don't want to go on any wild goose chase or drag anyone into it."

With another kick at the snow, Irvine narrowed his eyes. "I know, I know. . .but something tells me we have to take action."

* * *

After checking out of the inn (and finally ridding themselves of the perky greeter), Irvine and Moonbay were once again on the road to Blackfire. It was strange to find themselves heading back to that place. They had just spent the last six months traveling away from it. 

It wasn't too long before dark, that the peaks of buildings came into view. They were the silent land markers in the flat, bare, desert. Even here, winter had shown itself. Though it wasn't as cold as the dense forest, the chill in the air was obvious.

The largest building–the hanger–sat at the edge of town, like always. It was a strange contradiction to the smaller, humble, houses and shops that surrounded it. Yet, it seemed to fit. As the Gustav rolled into town, the sun drifted slowly below the orange horizon.

Moonbay parked her large, pink, transporter Zoid outside the large building and its two occupants hopped out. After following the sidewalk up to the door, Moonbay's knuckles gave it a hard knock. Immediately, voices were heard from inside the thick walls.

"SHIRO, GET THE DOOR!"

"Get it yourself, it's not my house."

Stomping footsteps followed the short answer and stopped at the door. Moonbay stiffed a giggle; not much had changed here, that was for sure.

With a loud creak the door swung open to reveal a annoyed-looking Vicky Herman. "Sorry, but the hanger is closed–MOONBAY!" Her head lifted up and glanced at Irvine. "And Irvine too? What on Zi are you guys doing here?"

"Let's just say we've had some interesting experiences in the past few days." Her tone was smooth, but opened up questions in the blonde woman's head.

Vicky's eyes narrowed, "Well, in that case, come on in!" She opened the door wider and the travelers stepped in. "Hey, Shiro, get down here. We have some visitors!" It was amazing how her tone changed within seconds.

"Tell your visitors that I don't care. I'm in the middle of something important."

Vicky growled, "Practicing soccer is not as important as this."

(A.N. Or 'football' as the rest of the world calls it. Us silly Americans.)

Moonbay raised an eyebrow, "He's learning soccer?"

"Yeah, apparently he never learned anything like that when he was a kid, so when the guys around town asked him to play, he decided to teach himself and now he's obsessed. . . but anyway." Turning, she lead them into the kitchen which was filled with the smell of hot chocolate, army papers, dirty dishes, and zoid parts. "Sorry 'bout the mess."

"Like we actually care." Irvine stated, pulling up a chair as he did so.

Vicky laughed, "Yeah, I know. It must be my mother coming out in me. So, what are you guys doing here anyway?"

Moonbay gave a sideways glance, "We were hoping we could talk to Shiro."

Vicky's eyes widened at the answer. Shrugging, she cracked her fingers and called to Shiro again, "Shirotaka, get your lazy ass down here!"

A retort, equal with anger, answered, "I thought I told you not to call me that." Shiro walked into the kitchen with a disgusted look on his face. "Oh, it's them." His aqua eyes softened. "What are you all doing here?" His hands shoved into their matching pockets. Vicky muttered something about 'white-haired-ass holes'.

The white-haired pilot ignored the scold and listened to Irvine retell the whole story. Scratching his chin, Shiro took a seat. "You're sure they weren't wild?"

"Positive."

"Well, I don't know of anyone off hand who uses that method." He paused, studying the floor. "However, it might just be a little case of revenge."

"And what do you mean by that?" Moonbay's eyes narrowed in thought. "Who would be out to get us?"

"The other day, one of those stupid bandits you caught escaped from jail. Maybe he's just looking for a little revenge." The group fell silent for a moment. Vicky was about to yell 'Why didn't you tell me this?', when Moonbay covered her mouth.

Irvine frowned, "You're telling me that the idiot bandit controls man-eating dogs?"

"No, I'm saying that the bandit leader–who we never caught–might be looking for you. You know, for screwing up his plans for destruction and all that. And the escaping bandit probably caught up with the leader so. . ." With wave of his hand, Shiro expressed his lack of interest in the whole situation.

"Alright, then all we gotta do is sit around and wait for them to find us." Irvine said.

Vicky interrupted, "But, they'll never chase you here; this city is a military check point now. They'd have to be crazy."

Her reply was answered with a smirk, "Then we'll just leave here and play 'the innocent travelers' again."

"When they attack," Shiro started.

Irvine finished, "We beat them and pound the answers out of them." One of his hands slapped the other in a dramatic effect.

Moonbay raised an eyebrow. "It's scary how all men think alike." Vicky agreed.

"And if the leader doesn't come after you, you can just 'pound' his location out of the attacker." Shiro finished off the plan.

"My thoughts exactly. Well, this is all if that dog attack wasn't an accident."

"True, but do you really think it was a freak accident?" Shiro flicked the mud off his boots, Vicky scowled.

Shaking his head, Irvine stated, "It was no accident. Looks like we're hunting bandits again." There was a hint of excitement in his voice as the group dispersed and turned in for the night.

* * *

The soft tweets and chirps of the morning birds woke Moonbay up early. Yawning and stretching, she made her way to the bathroom down the hallway and washed up. Her hand opened the small medication bottle and popped one in her mouth. Only four more days to go. 

She quickly slipped on her clothes and walked back to her room, taking note of the silence that filled the hanger. _"It's so much different than last night."_ Grinning slightly, she stepped into the room and out onto the small balcony that was connected to the outside. It was cloudy, windy and rather gloomy outside. The grey sky swirled with snow clouds and not a beam of light came through.

With a small breath, Moonbay closed her eyes and recalled all the new events. _"So, we're targets of revenge. . .its not something I have high on my list of 'things to become'." _She fingered the wood-railing's patterns. "Vacationing was fun while it lasted, I suppose."

A small knock came from the sliding glass door. After she opened it up, Irvine stepped out, holding two hot cups of coffee. Although he was dressed in a sleeveless shirt and pants, Irvine didn't notice the chill in the wind. He kicked the door shut and handed a mug to Moonbay.

Taking a sip he started, "Well, well, look who's up early."

"You're up early yourself, Irvine."

His broad shoulders moved in a shrug, "Couldn't sleep."

Her hand grazed his cheek in a worried gesture, "That's not healthy you know."

"Stop telling me that." His head shook her hand off. "How many times have we had this conversation?

Laughing, she spoke, "Well, we wouldn't have to if you actually took care of yourself."

"Hah, hah. I do pretty well on my own."

"Well, I know that." He didn't respond after that, but instead he took interest in his coffee.

Another gust of wind blew past the balcony. Leaves that were left over from autumn flew through the air. The wind ruffled Irvine's hair a bit as he asked, "How's that arm of yours?"

"_Look who's worrying now, Irvine. You hypocrite." _Her hand gave the bandaged area a little pat. "It's healing. Only four more antibiotics left."

He nodded, as if it didn't matter to him. Of course it was all an act, so Moonbay couldn't help but smile as his antics. The whole 'mercenary look' fitted Irvine quite well. The scowls, smirks, looks, the 'badass' attitude; It was all Irvine. Moonbay took notice of the clean headband around Irvine's head.

Reaching up, she gave it an affectionate tug. "So you cleaned it after all."

"Of course I did. I've only had it for as long as I can remember." Pausing, he took a breath, "So, here we are, once again in a fight. You know we're going to be alone on this one?"

Moonbay nodded, "It's the only way we can get to the bottom of this." Her eyes focused on the ground below. "If we're traveling around with a group of people, than whoever's after us will never attack. Since they first attacked when we were alone then, they probably plan on doing the same with any future attacks."

Agreeing wholly, Irvine nodded. "In a weird way, I'm looking forward to this."

Unsurprised, Moonbay stared at him. "I had a feeling you looked at it that way." With a slow movement her hand brushed over his shirt. "You're a mercenary at heart, you can't help but want the danger."

"And you don't? How about all those transporting years?"

Laughing, she shook her head, "I only did that because it brought in money and kept me alive. I also hated sitting still. And then over time it became a constant profession." She shrugged as another gust of wind blew through Moonbay's long hair.

"Well, in that case, after this is over, I promise to take you somewhere nice."

Moonbay gripped the flying hairs, "Somewhere nice? And what does that mean, exactly?"

He shrugged, "How am I supposed to know? You pick. I buy. Deal? That way you have something to look forward to after this whole. . .situation. I get my danger fix. And you get your," he wave his hand impatiently, "whatever you wanna call it."

"_Is this really the mercenary that I have known for years?"_ Moonbay grinned to herself. Her hands enclosed Irvine in a quick hug of thanks. "I didn't know you cared." Smirking, she poked him in the head.

"Right." Irvine answered, his head bobbing. His arm snaked around her waist as he directed her toward the door and pushed her inside. "Then let's get going."

* * *

A.N: I made up the whole doctor scene. I have no idea what a doctor would do if you came in with dog bites on you. . .I guessed about the antibiotics, the only reason I threw them in there was because that's what I had to do when I got stung by a stingray. . .It sounded alright. Lol. Correct me if I'm wrong. 

I love reviewers. -randomcat23


	4. Vow

Arch. So, how long has it been, now? Over a month? (Pats her fanfic) It's me, not you. Sorry in advance if this chapter is a little 'out of it'. I haven't written in awhile and must get back in the 'groove'.

Anyway, tons of thanks, as always, to readers and reviewers.

Shout outs to reviewers:  
**Crimson Bride, IrvineSano, and MagCat  
**Yeah, you guys rock. :)

Disclaimer: Ah, no. I don't own Zoids; you actually thought I did?

* * *

**Chapter 4: Vow**

"Breakfast is served!" Steaming eggs and bacon were placed in front of Moonbay. With a nod of thanks to Vicky, she dug in. Irvine followed her lead and began to chow down. The oven mitten-wearing Vicky grinned and set another plate by the ever-silent Shiro.

With breakfast passed out, the cook pulled up her own chair and sat down. "You know, Moonbay, I've been thinking."

The transporter's head looked up, "About what?"

"Since you guys have this new mission thing going on, wouldn't it be better to have a Zoid that can actually fight?"

Moonbay pondered this for a moment. It was true. The Gustav was a great help when traveling, but for battles? "Yeah, it would be better if I could get my hands on a Command Wolf or something. Why? What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, that little hanger out there is stocked full of zoids, especially since this area became a check point for the army. You could borrow one, and I would house your Gustav until you returned."

Irvine nodded when Moonbay glanced at him. _"I would be much more help during the battles . . . "_ "All right, let's see what you got." And she shoveled another fork of eggs into her hungry mouth.

* * *

"Take your pick, Moonbay." Vicky spread out her arms as they entered the hanger. There was everything from Command Wolves to Pteras and even some Sleeper Zoids. "They all come in a variety of colors, speeds, and power. I think I have some very unique Helcats back there. . ." 

Shiro scoffed and glanced at Moonbay. "You shouldn't have agreed to her idea. She uses this as an excuse to show off her Zoid collection." He didn't wait for a reply, but instead began glancing at his Zaber.

Vicky turned around and said, "I do not." But there was a slight blush across her face. "And they're not all mine, thank you very much. Most of them belong to pilots in this area." She turned back to Moonbay. "So, go on ahead. Pick one on the left side of the building."

By the time Vicky had said that, Irvine was already half way down one of the isles inspecting Zoids. Moonbay ran to catch up with him. "See anything, Irvine?"

"I'm just looking. It's your Zoid, you pick it out." His hand rested on her back and pushed her in the opposite direction. "Start over there."

Shrugging, Moonbay started her search. There was no shortage of Zoid pickings here. But one Zoid in particular caught her eye. In the back, a dark red Gun Sniper looked down on her figure. "_It's in very good condition." _Her hands ran over its dusty foot. _"Sure hasn't been used in awhile. It does have a nice variety of attacks." _She inspected it further; it was a Republic model, probably used before the last war.

"Hey, Vicky, how about this Gun Sniper?"

The blonde's head popped out from behind a Bearfighter. "That one? Sounds good to me. I'll load it up with ammo, just give me an hour." Moonbay patted Vicky's shoulder in thanks and walked toward the exit.

Moonbay met up with Irvine, who stood waiting. "That didn't take long." He eyed her, "You pick one out already?"

"Just a Gun Sniper. It looked like it would work. And they are pretty versatile."

He crossed his arms. "How long till we get out of here?"

"Vicky said about an hour. Until then, I'm going to unpack the Gustav."

Irvine turned and followed her to the pink zoid.

* * *

An hour later, right on the spot, Vicky exited the hanger covered in grease, but looking mighty pleased with herself. "All done, Moonbay. That baby is gonna be great for you." 

Shiro came out at that moment, rubbing the dirt off his own face. "Here she goes again."

Vicky ignored him. "You all set then?"

"I think so. You ready, Irvine?"

He was leaning against a wall, looking slightly absorbed in his shoe. "Yeah, I'm good."

A basket was shoved into Moonbay's unprepared hands. "I made this up for you two." Vicky pointed at the couple. "Just some goodies," she said when Moonbay gave her a questionable look. "Good luck guys! Keep us posted."

Moonbay placed the goodie basket in the Gun Sniper. "Oh, we will." She climbed in; it had been awhile since she sat in a zoid other than her Gustav. Irvine followed her lead and soon the Saix and the Sniper where running off out of town.

"I hope that zoid works for Moonbay." Vicky watched her disappearing friend.

Shiro rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because, damn it if it don't."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

A gloved finger flicked her head, "You spend so much time fixing and washing and taking care of those blasted zoids, it would be a miracle if one of them fell apart."

Her hand swatted his finger. "Not a miracle, a disaster."

* * *

The Gun Sniper and Lightning Saix traveled across the changing landscape. Just a few hours ago, it had been dry desert, cool, but no snow. Tall mountains towered over the two zoids as the clouds let lose another burst of snow. It was a rocky area with hardly any towns or stops. When the snow had accumulated a little over two inches, a couple of buildings came into view. 

Irvine's head popped up on Moonbay's screen. "Let's stop here." He added, "We're not going to find anywhere else to go," when Moonbay started to protest. They were only three hours out of Blackfire anyway. But, she glanced at the sky, and agreed. There was no point traveling in the dark.

The town resembled the one where this all started. It was small and tucked away from the busy cities. It continued to get dark as the two pilots exited their Zoids and prepared them for the night. They parked them next to the other 'visiting' zoids and then walked into town with grumbling stomachs.

"Oh, look the local bar." Irvine grinned and turned toward the loud noises escaping the building.

"No you don't." Moonbay made a swift movement and grabbed his arm. "We're heading over to that inn over there and getting a room." She raised an eyebrow at him and watched his eyes go from anger, to disappointment, to agreement. He received a grin for his cooperation and a light pat on his arm.

Grumbling a little, Irvine pushed open the door and took a look around the room. It was almost exactly the same as the last inn they stayed at. Same plants, same chairs, same annoying-looking desk person. One thing was out of place though. Another person leaned over the desk and talked quickly with the greeter. He looked oddly familiar too. In a swift movement, the character turned around and widened his eyes.

"_It's that Kuro guy."_ Irvine frowned.

The General strode over to the couple with a thin grin on his face. He put out his hand and greeted, "Well, if it isn't the famous Lightning Saix pilot." Irvine shook the hand out of courtesy. "And the Gustav pilot as well. What brings you two out here?"

Moonbay raised her head and started, but Irvine cut her off. "After some bandits."

Alex raised an eyebrow, "More bandits? I would think that after Blackfire you'd be sitting around somewhere peacefully."

"That would be the case, but," Moonbay hesitated, "we decided it would be good to get some work in." _"There's no need to get him involved." _Kuro nodded in understanding. "What are you doing out here, General? Seems like an odd place for an army official."

Kuro licked his lips. "Keep this under wraps, but we've traced the bandit leader all the way out here. We got a pretty good lead, so I'm guessing we should have them caught in no time."

Irvine spoke up again, "Did you hear that one of the bandits escaped Blackfire?"

"Yes, that is the advantage of having Miss Herman posted there." He glanced at the door. "She called me as soon as that ban– . . . Shirotaka reported it." He shrugged, "But, by the time I found out, we were on our way here, so we must take priority."

"Well, that is the military's job anyway."

"Quite right. Now if you'll excuse me, duty calls." With that he exited in a smooth fashion, leaving Irvine and Moonbay alone with the oblivious greeter.

Moonbay traded glances with Irvine, who shrugged and ambled over to the counter. He paid for the room and the greeter thanked him for choosing the inn.

The room itself was an improvement over the last one; there was a heater so Irvine approved. He looked around the room, satisfied, and then began to leave. "I'll be back later," he spoke as Moonbay started to question, "I'm going to get something to eat."

In the mean time, Moonbay washed up, treated her injured arm and flopped down on the bed thinking. Her mind wondered and wondered, pondering all sorts of things. This mission was difficult, they had nothing to go on and were forced to wait for the enemy. They couldn't even bring it up to the army because there was no proof that it was the bandits. If they had, they would be brushed aside. _"I know Irvine doesn't like it, I don't like it. But we have no choice. For once, couldn't life be easy?" _A snicker left her mouth as she answered her own question, _"No, because then it wouldn't be life."_

Irvine returned at that moment with a hot bag in his hand. Snow still clung to his outfit as he dropped the food bag on the bed. "Hot chicken sandwiches."

"Anything else?" She peered into the bag, the smell of chicken floated up. Delicious.

The mercenary sat down, "There is nothing else in this town."

"Here." Moonbay pulled out Vicky's goodie bag. "Let's see what she gave us."

Her hand pulled back the towel and looked at the contents. It was stuffed full of bread, sweets, a flashlight with extra batteries, Vicky's cell phone number, snacks, beer, along with other little things. Moonbay's hand clasped around a bag of chips, grinning. "I knew Vicky would take care of us."

Irvine agreed and took a bag of his own. Dinner was a quiet affair, Irvine kept pacing around the room and Moonbay had know idea why he was doing that. _"He's not really a 'pacing' guy."_ In the end she decided to finish her sandwich and wait for him to spit out whatever he had on his mind. She didn't have to wait long for her answer.

"It was odd seeing Kuro in town," he stated bluntly as he through some trash in the garbage can.

"More like a coincidence. I can't believe the bandit leader is out here." She paused, studying her food. "Maybe it was a good idea after all to just aimlessly travel and hope that we might find something."

"Maybe."

Silence seeped into the room again. "You think we'll find something, Irvine?"

"More likely than none. If their leader really is out here, then yeah, we should find something."

"Now, wouldn't it be something if it really was the same bandits from Blackfire? That means Kuro is after the same guys we're after." Her eyes followed Irvine, he leaned against the wall and glanced out the foggy window. It was snowing again.

"I would prefer that we catch the bandits first. It's not just about Blackfire anymore." Moonbay didn't answer. Irvine walked over and sat next to her, touching her injured arm lightly. "Its more important than Blackfire." His gray eyes drifted across her face for a second, and then he traveled to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

The shower curtain swished as Irvine sat on the edge of the tub. A hand cradled his head to hide the stress etched in to his face. _"I would do anything, anything to catch those responsible. . .Moonbay."_ Determined, he stood up and stared at the mirror. _"I'll do anything to beat Kuro to the bandits."_ His old eyepatch rested on the counter. Smirking, he picked it up, fingering the leather strap. "Even end our bet," he sighed.

* * *

A/N: Ouch, this one's short. Five pages maybe? (Salutes) I promise to have the next chapter up sooner! Reviews are always appreciated! 


	5. Contradicting Goals

Welcome back, reviewers and readers alike! Thanks to all.

Oodles and oodles of bonus thanks to the reviewers:  
**IrvineSano**, **The Crimson Bride**, **MagCat**, **gs rocks**, and **JamieGlasgow4  
**Thanks so much guys!

**Disclaimer**: Nope, I don't own Zoids. I do, however, own a Riku action figure. (Waves keyblade around.)

* * *

**Chapter 5:** **Contradicting Goals**

It was the sun that woke Moonbay from her slumber. That little beam of light, it crept right between the blinds and landed on her face. "Imagine that," she whispered, "the sun at this time of year in the mountains." The floor was cold under her feet as she walked to the window and peered beyond the wooden blinds.

Sparkling snow covered the ground and more fell from the sky above. The moving clouds liked to hide the sun, but when it came through the world brightened up and embraced its warmth. Moonbay crossed her arms and watched the people of the town begin their days. They opened their stores, gripped their children by the hands, and prepared Zoids and work tools alike. It was peaceful.

As her eyes flowed over the land, she caught sight of Alex Kuro. He was up bright and early, his black hair an exact opposite for the white background. He lifted a finger, shouting orders to his men and made his way over to a rather large Zoid Moonbay had failed to notice.

It was similar to the Geno Breaker, so similar Moonbay shuddered. It possessed the same gleaming silver claws, the same powerful body and the same deathly presence. A long dragon-like head was attached to the body. It was different in many ways however. Instead of blood red, it was aqua green with purple markings. Two large guns sat on its large shoulders and it had an odd line of spines running down its back which moved from side to side. A name came out of Moonbay's memory: Dark Spiner.

Moonbay studied it with interest. The Zoid was just as rare as the Lightning Saix; only one of each Zoid existed as of now. _"Kuro must be a respected guy to gain such a Zoid. Maybe he'll get the bandits before we do."_

She turned back to Irvine who was sleeping silently. He had been acting sort of odd lately. Last night when he came out of the bathroom, his hand clutched his eyepatch. When he saw her staring at it he mumbled something about needing it or something of the sort. Her response was a shrug; bringing up their silly bet seemed out of place for the mood they were in. All it meant was that Irvine was serious about this bandit thing and that Moonbay could tie her hair back.

Sighing in frustration Moonbay thought, _"I hope Kuro does catch those bandits, just so we didn't have to carry on with this 'mission'."_

At that moment, Irvine rolled over and his hand rested where Moonbay's body had been. His eyes snapped open and glanced around the room. He stopped his search when he found Moonbay by the window. He grinned lazily and asked, "What you doing up?"

"Just glancing outside." She again focused on the town. "I think there's some kind of festival tonight. Maybe we should stay and check it out."

"Uh huh."

At least, that's what Moonbay _thought_ he said; his head was stuffed against the pillow, muffling his words. _"Well, since we are staying, that means Kuro gets a head start on those bandits."_ She was feeling rather please with herself; there was a festival tonight, and Irvine 'agreed' to stay. But as she got dressed and brushed her dark hair, other thoughts filled her mind.

It was pretty clear to her that Irvine wanted to get the bandits himself, for his danger fix or whatever. But after last night with the way he acted, it seemed like he had other drives as well. Moonbay knew he wanted to avenge her injury, but just how far was he willing to go to achieve that? Wouldn't it be better to let Kuro catch them? Irvine and Moonbay could then avoid further injury and such.

"_I don't want him hurt. He's done so much already. For once, he should have a break." _Her feet padded across the floor to the bed and bent over Irvine. "Wake up sleepy head." With a glance to the side she picked up Vicky's basket and dug through it, taking a second look. Pausing, she found a round coin and pocketed it. Shrugging, she bent down again to ruffle Irvine's hair.

A hand reached up and swatted her away. Moonbay grabbed it and attempted to pull Irvine out of bed. "Come on, the day is wasting away." _"It's not like to you sleep so long."_

"Then we just stay out later at night."

"Your impossible." She gave up the effort of pulling and decided to make coffee instead. And sure enough, within minutes, a drowsy Irvine stood over her shoulder. The mercenary took a mug with thanks and sat back down on the bed, drinking. Moonbay sighed at him, wondering why he was so tired.

* * *

Surprisingly, the weather didn't effect the amount of people outside. It was cold, bitter, and windy, but crowds gathered at stalls asking for food or prices. The streets were lit with paper lanterns that hung from almost every tree. The scent of food was strong in the atmosphere; you could find almost anything for sell.

With a bright smile on her face, Moonbay walked up and down the endless streets gazing at all the eye-candy. Irvine followed her form, eyepatch and all, with a small look of amusement on his face. He bought her a corn-dog and said, "Eat this, and maybe you won't be so cold."

At first, she stared at him, and then slowly took the food with a grin. _"That's more like him."_ She then took the opportunity to drag him over to the nearest clothes rack.

An hour and a large amount of money later, Irvine and Moonbay found themselves relaxing on a street bench. She leaned against him, sheltering herself from the wind and cold. Irvine wrapped an arm around her shoulders, shaking his head. "You could have five layers of clothes on and still be a shivering little kitten."

Moonbay snuggled closer, "But I'd be your 'shivering little kitten'."

He raised an eyebrow at her response, "Where do you come up with this crap?" And he shook his head again. "Time to head back to the hotel. We should leave by noon tomorrow."

The transporter nodded, knowing all to well that she had pushed Irvine to his limits. Successfully though. "I'm surprised you agreed to stay one more day," she said, walking fast to keep up with his strides. A renewed wind whistled through the night air.

The night's festivities had already ended; the wind had become a huge distraction. The once crowded streets were now close to empty and the lights were all put out. A bright, happy atmosphere was replaced with the cold and darkness of the season. People hurried to their homes, eager to get away from the chill. Moonbay couldn't agree with them more.

"Let's cut down here," Irvine suggested and pointed to an alley. Moonbay nodded, ready to take any shortcuts available.

"_So, this has been a pretty good day,"_ Moonbay thought as she clutched the bags of new merchandise. _"Maybe we'll be lucky and Kuro will find those bandits soon. They are the most likely candidates for our attackers._" Something else crossed her mind, _"What if our attackers aren't the bandits from Blackfire? Up until now that's the only possibility we've looked at, well, besides it being a random occurrence."_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Irvine suddenly gripping her arm. As he brought a hand to her mouth, Irvine pointed down the alley over by some discarded boxes. At first, Moonbay shook her head; she didn't see anything. Irvine tapped his eyepatch and pointed again and this time Moonbay squinted and looked hard.

The figure, whatever it was, had its head turned away at the moment but it shifted slightly. _"Could be anyone though." _She looked at Irvine again, but he was already pushing her behind him. Slowly, he gestured for them to walk closer. A stray cat scurried across their path, meowing loudly.

Moonbay heard Irvine swear as the little animal caused the figure to face them. In a quite movement the figure was on its feet and fingered an object in its hand. It–he–charged straight at the couple. Moonbay threw down her bags and Irvine confronted the man.

"Watch it Irvine, we don't know what he wants," she warned quickly. But the warning became irrelevant when the man reached out with a fist aiming for Irvine's head. The mercenary dodged easily and struck with a punch of his own. The attacker had quick footwork, however, and sidestepped Irvine completely. His leg swung around and tripped Irvine from behind.

Moonbay stepped up, kicked the man in the shins, and proceeded to hook her ankle around his and let him fall to the ground. By this time, Irvine was back on his feet and closed in. With a loud _bang _the man on the ground shot off his gun into the air, startling his two opponents. Irvine reached down to grab him, but the footwork came into play again and the man sprinted down the alley, knocking over a few boxes as he flew.

It didn't matter that the man was fast and didn't matter that the man had a head start, because Irvine caught with him anyway with Moonbay following. By this time the whole town was out of their beds and in the streets. People were shouting, others huddled in clusters, gossiping while the police went for answers.

They had chased him all the way to the edge of town, the forest was just yards away. "Stay back," a gun was now pointed at Irvine. The man was backed up against his Red Horn and ran his fingers over it lightly. Swearing, Irvine stopped on the spot. "That's right, stay put." The cockpit raised up slowly.

"Who the hell are you?" The man turned back and glared at the speaker. Moonbay returned the favor and crossed her arms. "What do you want?"

The man scoffed, "Nothing you need to know about." He had lowered the gun and threw it inside the Zoid.

"_Fool," _Irvine criticized and dug the toe of his shoe into the ground. _"Wait for it, wait for that one moment."_

Moonbay quickly shot a look at Irvine and caught his fist clenching. _"Alright, so Irvine wants to take this guy out. Alright, alright, looks like we're stuck with this mission after all." _Sighing she glared at the Zoid pilot across from her. _"Time to distract this idiot."_

"Oh come on that's no excuse. Tell us what you really want." Her voice was clear; she couldn't be more happier with herself. Though her voice hid it, she was feeling unsure and questioned the whole situation. Was this one man responsible for the attacks? Were there more of them? Or did this man and his random actions have nothing to do with the attacking dogs?

Her eyes widened as she realized that they had no way of keeping the man here. He had put his gun away, but he was a mere three feet from hopping in his Zoid and never coming back. And the Gun Sniper and Saix were too far away for them to follow.

Closer. Inches. The man wouldn't answer and every moment he stayed silent, his quick feet moved him slightly closer to the open cockpit. His get-away. His skittish eyes drifted from Moonbay to Irvine and back to the Zoid.

But he wasn't the only one moving. Step by step Irvine crawled closer to the attacker. _"Glance down, damn you, glance away." _He saw Moonbay watching him closely. _"Right. . .now."_

The wind howled as Irvine kicked the attacker, striking him to the ground with the swift blow. Within seconds, the Red Horn's pilot was thrust up against his Zoid with his hands behind his back. He let out a scream when Irvine hit him against the Zoid again.

"Look, now your gonna tell us what you're doing attacking us and who sent you." Even with just his one eye, the look it gave made the man shudder.

"I know nothing," and again he was pushed against the Red Horn.

Moonbay stood feet away and observed the whole thing. It wasn't often that she saw Irvine in this state of mind. Pure mercenary. This was no longer a game of cat and mouse. Irvine had caught his prey and intended to get the answers he wanted. She looked away for a moment. It was odd seeing him like this. And she knew it was just the mercenary side of him, but after being with him and experiencing every other side besides that one, it was almost. . .scary? No not scary. . . what was it then?

Another yell echoed over the area and Moonbay's attention was drawn back to Irvine and the captive. Her mouth opened a bit when she saw the reason for the man's outburst. Irvine's gun was pointed directly at the man's head, with Irvine's finger on the trigger. _"Woah, woah, Irvine. Do you really have to ... your gun? Irvine?" _She blinked, wondering where her voice had disappeared to.

"Now let me ask for the last time, what are you doing here and who's making you do this?"

What was that in this voice? The menacing growl of a mercenary at work. . .the deathly sneer.

Moonbay stepped closer, her hand raising slightly, trying to touch Irvine's shoulder, attempting to bring him back to the way he was before.

A whimper came out of the captive's mouth. Sweat dripped down his face as his eyes darted between the gun and Irvine's scowl. His arm flinched as Irvine's grip tightened.

"Do you really want a bullet straight through your head?" The mercenary's finger brushed the trigger once again. "Three. . .Two. . . On–,"

"ALEX KURO!" The man screamed, his whole body shaking.

Irvine's eye narrowed, "Explain. Now."

"He's the one who sent me. . .the, the one who's behind the attack on you guys."

Moonbay let out a gasp. "Your lying. Kuro works for the Republican Army. He would never–," and she cut off thinking: _"How can I defend him like that? Do I even know what he's really like?" _Or was it because she knew he could be right, and if he was. . .then the real culprit was within their reach the whole time.. .and they never knew.

"Are ya sure that's the answer? You sure? Positive? Because if we find out its wrong," Irvine's gun indented further into the man's skin, "We will find you." It was a threat and a promise.

Suddenly, a burst of courage swelled through the captive, "You wouldn't know where to begin your search."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I can always report back to him, escape from here, you wouldn't find the answers anywhere."

"You think you can get away from me?" Once again the man was thrown against the Zoid. "What if I destroy the messenger?" This time his finger closed in on the trigger–.

"Irvine stop! The police are coming," Moonbay had finally found her voice. Irvine glared back at her and lost his grip on the captive. With a strong kick the mercenary was shoved to the ground; the gun went flying. A roar rang out over the area as the pilot reentered his Zoid and dashed off into the forest.

"Shit," Irvine spat and stood up. Moonbay landed a hand on his shoulder with concern. Whistles and yells became louder and louder. With some quick thinking on their part, the couple sprinted back to the town and took another street. The plan was to make sure nobody found out it was them that witnessed the activity.

"Irvine what about our footprints? With the snow?"

No answer at first, but he changed his direction quickly and chose a more widely used street. Nobody would be able to distinguish their footprints in slush. Another turn and they entered the hotel. Once again they were lucky they ran into no one; everyone seemed to be away trying to figure out what happened.

Irvine shoved open the door to their room and immediately started collecting their belongings. "We're leaving. Now. Pack up."

She was in no mood to argue or ask questions, so she followed orders. However, she was worried about him. He was stressed, that was obvious. And maybe a little excited, which bothered her. After almost killing a man wouldn't you be a little shaken?

A shoe landed safely in her bag. _"Course, I always forget that Irvine's killed before."_ He was now packing his own things with unbelievable speed. _"Once we get a chance, I want to make sure we're both on the same page. Looks like we both had different ideas as to how to go about this thing."_

"Ready?" Irvine's voice shattered her thoughts.

"Ready as I'll ever be." And she attempted a smile with little luck.

* * *

The wind had picked up again, it whistled and howled through the trees of the forest. Moonbay huddled under a blanket in their tent. She couldn't have been more joyed at the fact that Irvine decided to stop here for the night. But she was uneasy; they hadn't spoken about their new situation yet.

And Irvine wasn't helping. While she buried under the blankets, searching for warmth, he sat there with a puzzled look on his face, quiet as a mouse.

A question had been running through her head and it demanded to be answered. "Irvine?" Moonbay almost whispered it, like a secret.

"Mm?"

Her fingers clenched around the furry blanket, "Would you. . .have actually shot. . ."

"That guy?"

She nodded, sensing the surprise in his voice.

His reply came in a hurry, "Yes. If it needed to be done, yes."

"But he was unarmed," she argued, throwing down the blanket, ready to make her point.

"He's a danger to our mission. Not to mention that he would have shot us without giving it a second thought."

"Irvine, the police were right there. They would have seen you shoot him and arrested you without a doubt."

He turned to her, "And what would you want me to do? Let the man walk away without answers?"

"No, but. . .bring him to the police–,"

"On what charge? They don't know what we're doing. And we had nothing on that guy except 'he punched me in the alley'."

"He didn't look familiar to you?" She sighed tiredly when he shook his head, "He was that bandit from Blackfire. The one Shiro questioned?"

"So?"

"We could have taken him in then, he's a wanted man, Irvine."

His grey eyes studied her for a moment, "True. But we now know where to go. Those Red Horns leave deep tracks, we can pick them up tomorrow."

"_He's totally missing my point. . ." _"Shouldn't we go the police?"

"What for?" Surprise once again leaked out. "They won't do anything."

"What about the army then. . .if Kuro is really behind it all."

"Then we have to find him, Moonbay." She glared at him and he threw up his hand in defense, "Come on Moonbay," he said rationally, "Would any really believe that he was the one who attacked us? Not to mention the man controlling a bunch of bandits?"

"They just might–,"

"Get real. You know they wouldn't. It's time we stop looking for help and do it ourselves."

"No one would think less of you if you actually did call for help. Van would listen."

"Van. . .no, I, . . ." The tent shook against the wind and Moonbay shivered again.

"Irvine what's wrong, you've been out of it since we've visited Blackfire."

"Isn't it obvious?" His hand covered his face, "Or have I left you in the dark again?" The last remark was whispered, Moonbay could barely make it out.

"What?"

The hand dropped to reveal a stressed look. "There's something I gotta do. This thing. . . is all for you," Irvine spoke slowly, ever so slowly.

"For me? Is this about my injury?" Moonbay repeated the slowness in her own voice and forced a laugh, "Irvine, it's nothing, its almost healed, its–,"

"That's not all," interrupted Irvine, "Course I want to get back at them for attacking us. Sure I want to find the answers to all our questions. But most importantly, it comes down to what I can do," he pointed, "for you."

"I don't get it, you do so much, Irvine it's . . ."

"I can only do so much. If our," he paused, "relationship is going to last, I need to show you that I can provide what you need and want."

"'What I need and want'?" she repeated, shaking her head at him. "You don't think that you can?" _"Our relationship? 'Last'.?. . . How long does he think we'll be together?. . . Irvine?"_

"Not always. My life runs on a thin budget line," he held up a hand to stop her protest. "I know you don't care. I know that. But having a steady income does have an effect on people's happiness. Money does make the world go round." Yet again he stopped her from talking, "And I know you don't care. I know, I know, I know. And I know that I could never provide a rich lifestyle with the way life is now. So I feel I must. . .make up for it, prove my worth, prove that I deserve you."

"_What is he saying? Irvine. . .why do you feel that you must find substitutions for cash? Why do you think I would want a 'place-holder' for the absence of money?"_

Her hand, which had been resting over her mouth, reached across and cup Irvine's face. "Why do you insist on being so hard on yourself?"

"Because the world is a hard place and I am unfit for it."

"Irvine," her voiced showed concern and sadness. "You never came across that way to me." The cause of his sudden exhaustion became clear through this conversation; worry, pain, and above all: herself. "You hid this from me. Your feelings."

"In order to make sure you didn't worry."

"I did anyway."

"I realize that now. I'm sorry."

"Promise me something?"

"Yes?"

"If we're ever faced in a situation like that again, just punch the guy out, don't kill him." Her body slide closer to his and her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"Promise."

And she kissed him slowly, determined to convince him that what she said was true. When he ending the kiss by turning away, he pulled her close and said, "If I ever seem like I'm hiding something, tell me. It's going to be some time before I know when I am falling back into that mercenary habit."

"I don't want you to go and change for me. Because let's face it, that's part of who you are, part of why I'm hear, with you and not some other random place."

"Ah." He agreed, and kissed her again. "Go to bed, we have a long day tomorrow." He dumped her on a sleeping bag and pulled extra covers over her. "I'll keep first watch."

Her hand brushed his face again, "Don't you dare forget to wake me up for my shift. Because, I'll find out." Moonbay grinned.

"I won't forget," he smirked and kissed her forehead, knowing perfectly well that he planned to stay up the whole night, never once waking her.

* * *

Mwahaa. I believe I was semi-timely on this chapter. . .what was it? Three, two weeks? Well, it's a pretty long one, hope you enjoyed. Thanks in advance to all reviewers! -randomcat23 


	6. Underground

Once again, I'm going to have to apologize for the wait. But, you guys already know all my excuses so I don't have any this time. Haha. As always, I give lots of thanks and candy to readers and reviewers. Don't forget to put in your thoughts at the end with a review, it's much appreciated!

**Shout outs**: **Crimson Bride**, **IrvineSano**, **MagCat**, and **gs rocks**. Thanks so much for reviewing!

I'm thinking this fic will be wrapped up within the next two chapters . . . _maybe_ three. I don't know. . . . Man, I really need to crack down and get it finished!

**Disclaimer:** Here's a secret: randomcat23 does not own Zoids. Gasp, I know.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Underground**

"It was as I thought," Irvine mused out loud. _"The snow was deep and packed, so we'll be able to follow his tracks easily. We're lucky the trees are so dense, they provided excellent coverage last night; there wasn't a sound at all."_

He was returning to camp from an early-morning quest through the forest. While the mercenary sat up late at night, the idea struck him that the Zoid they were chasing would have left a path. As soon as the sun broke the horizon, Irvine tested his idea and was satisfied to find his thoughts correct.

"Though, what idiot would leave those tracks wide open? Unless, he wanted us to follow him," but Irvine disregarded the thoughts. "No sense in worrying, if it's a battle they want, it's a battle they get."

A yawn escaped his mouth as the Lightning Saix came into view. It roared softly, almost mockingly when Irvine tried to get rid of exhaustion with a shake of his head. "Don't you give me that, I have every right to be tired." The Saix roared again and Irvine glared up at him, "Watch yourself, if Moonbay wakes up, I'm not stopping her from giving you a beating."

Even his firm voice couldn't hide the sleepiness that leaked out. It had been a long, cold night. The grumbling from his stomach forced Irvine to pop open a can of soup. And as he turned on the portable stove, the flap of the tent fluttered and Moonbay exited.

Her hand rose to her face as she blocked out the sun and the light reflecting off the snow. The air was crisp and cool against her skin; the wind blew, lightly tossing her hair. When her eyes had adjusted to the brightness, Moonbay's feet carried her over to the fire and she took her spot next to Irvine.

"Did you sleep well?"

The transporter turned to answer, "Just fine thanks." She knew all to well that Irvine didn't sleep at all. She also knew it would be pointless to bring up that fact. Her response had been a lie however. Her sleep had been interrupted with nightmares, most of them ending in injury or death to her to her favorite mercenary. But this was no time to talk about nightmares. So instead, in her own way, Moonbay thanked him by hugging his shoulders lightly. "What's our plan Irvine?"

"I don't know if you noticed or not, but the Red Horn left quite a trail through the forest. I just checked it today and the tracks were deep enough to last through the snowfall. We'll just follow the tracks to . . . wherever we're being taken."

"Isn't odd that the pilot left such an obvious trail?"

"You think so too?" Irvine smirked, "I think they want us to follow them. All we have to do is make sure they're surprised, not us."

At that moment the stove gave off a little 'beep', announcing to the world that the soup was ready. Irvine reached out to shut it off, but Moonbay beat him to it. "Let it sit for a bit; I'm sure it's really hot."

His hand retreated. Although Irvine couldn't figure out why Moonbay would bother to stop them from having breakfast, she answered it for him. Her hands gripped his firm shoulders, "You're so stiff." A grin broke out on her face, trying to disrupt the silence.

Irvine turned his back to her, like an open invitation. "Fix it then."

"With pleasure."

Her cool fingers trailed up and down his warm back, working out all the kinks and stress. Every once in a while, Irvine would roll his shoulders and then ask her to start again. Within minutes, Moonbay felt she knew every muscle, all of them strong, capable of protecting anything he wanted. And Moonbay knew, knew for sure that she was one of his precious things to be protected.

"All done. If I continued your muscles would turn to Jello."

He raised an eyebrow and rolled his right shoulder, "Unlikely."

Moonbay nodded in her agreement and then turned her attention to the soup. With a spoon she dealt out the contents into bowls and handed one to Irvine. It was surprisingly tasty for a quick meal.

After discarding the plastic soup bowls and cleaning up the area, Irvine walked over to the tent and began picking up that area too. The tent was fully folded in minutes. Moonbay joined him in helping with the other camp items. Within the next few moments, the cluttered area became free again, now that all the equipment was gone.

While tying a strap over the equipment Irvine asked, "How's your arm feeling now?"

"Stiff, but healing." It was true that her arm was stiff, but Moonbay hadn't thought of her injury in a long time. Upon seeing Irvine's questioning look, Moonbay shook her head and said, "It hasn't bothered me in awhile; I'm fine."

He was so quick. No doubt the mercenary's skills came into play, but Irvine enclosed the space between them without a blink of an eye. A rough hand gripped her arm for inspection.

Moonbay jerked away, "Do you not believe me?"

"Do you realize you're putting yourself in danger by fighting if you're injured?"

She glared, he glared. Moonbay took one of his quotes and threw it back at him, "You worry too much." But to soften the harshness in her voice, Moonbay crawled into Irvine's embrace. Her dark eyes gazed at him for a bit before she grinned lazily and said, "I appreciate the concern, however."

Irvine dropped one of his arms and placed the other around her shoulders. He then steered them toward the Zoids. "I worry for good reasons."

"I can fight, you know that. Do not underestimate me."

He laughed, "I do anything but underestimate you. But you'll have to let me do some of the work; I got to feel like I accomplished something," he finished with a wink.

"Alright, you can have the one of the enemies."

"Make it the best one."

"As you wish."

Moonbay laughed and walked to the large Gun Sniper. Quickly, she scanned the campsite to make sure nothing was left behind. She fingered the coin she had found in the gift basket from Vicky; she still had to find out what it was. It looked like a part to a computer. With a shrug, Moonbay climbed up and sat herself in the cockpit.

They then boarded the Zoids and headed off after the trail. Irvine clicked on the radar; there wasn't any room for mistakes. Moonbay must have done the same thing because she then called over to him, "Did you turn on your radar?"

"I'm way ahead of you."

The trail weaved in and out of the woods, dodging large clusters of trees, rocks and any other obstacles. In some places it was easy to see where the Red Horn had rammed into a tree. In other places, the only evidence of a Zoid traveling through the area was the deep foot prints. In any case, the path was clear and the Lightning Saix and Gun Sniper made good time. It had only been two hours before the trees started thinning and the end of the forest was seen.

At this time Irvine called over to Moonbay, "Are you picking anything up on your radar?"

She nodded, "Looks like a planned ambush."

Irvine agreed, "Yes. You take the ones on the left, I'll thrash the right."

"Sounds like a plan."

As the two Zoid run into the open area, the pilots gasped; they were now at the very foot of mountains. The trees had been so thick, not one glimmer of what they were running to was let through. Now, more than ever, it was obvious how far they had traveled.

Cries from all sides brought Irvine and Moonbay's focus back to the clearing. They were surrounded, as expected, by multiple kinds of Zoids. Right away, Irvine recognized the Red Horn from before as well as other Gun Snipers, Bearfighers and scattered Zaber Fangs. It was at least ten to one.

"Alright, Moonbay, let's end this. After it's all done, we'll just force answers from the ones that are still awake." With that he sprinted off and shot at the nearest Bearfighter.

Moonbay turned her attention to the left Zoids and grinned. "Let's see how you do, Gun Sniper." It roared, rising to the challenge and ran into battle. Missiles rained on the enemy as Moonbay pressed a button. To her surprise, the opposing Zoids were not attacking as one unit, but one at a time. It was almost as if they were waiting for something. With a quick glance at Irvine, She knew it was no time to state this observation.

The Saix sprinted, outclassing all the Zoids in speed. Irvine smirked as the enemies' head swiveled, trying to find him. "I'm right here." And the Saix's claws dug into a Zaber Fang's throat. The ambush's numbers were thinning; Moonbay and Irvine were more than a match for the other pilots.

"And here I was thinking this would be hard," Moonbay mused as the Gun Sniper shot and defeated another Bearfighter. It was clear that the Lighning Saix and red Gun Sniper were the winners. There was only a few more Zoids left when another dot appeared on the screen. "What's that?" Moonbay spun around, looking for the new opponent. Slam. Moonbay hadn't recovered from shock when she was hit again. Last thing she saw was the speedy Saix, sprinting to her aid.

Irvine swore; who was this new Zoid? He had seen it somewhere before, the way it attacked was so similar to the Geno Breaker. And when the Zoid raised its head with a roar, the answer was clear: Dark Spiner, Alex Kuro's Zoid.

"Damn it."

With a furious yell, Irvine charged to the Dark Spiner, but pulled the breaks to put some space between them. The last thing Irvine wanted to do now is allow him to win easily. And throwing the Saix and himself at the large Zoid would give Kuro a perfect chance for victory.

The Saix leaned low and circled the Spiner, which in return gazed at him with an almost curious look. _"Wait for him to make the first move; just because we have speed on our side doesn't mean we can dodge everything." _Irvine's grey eye only left Kuro for a second; he glanced down at Moonbay's destroyed Zoid, his anger mounting.

But that second was enough for Kuro; he enclosed the space swiftly and noiselessly. Irvine heard the Lightning Saix roar painfully and felt the rushing and then crashing of falling to the ground. From the corner of his eye, Irvine watched in horror as the Dark Spiner bent down and glared at him, mocking. Light faded, spots appeared and then nothing was in sight.

* * *

There was something cold and heavy resting on Irvine's face. His body ached, but that was no surprise. Muscles were cramping in his arms and he couldn't feel his legs. Maybe he was in a hospital. But he was lying on his stomach. And what the hell was the thing on his face, an icepack? Gingerly, Irvine raised his hand and attempted to push whatever it was off his face. It was heavy and didn't feel comforting against his scratched cheek. If anything, it was pressing too hard. And it wouldn't come off.

"Finally, the warrior awakes."

Irvine forced his eyes to crack open and slowly they came to focus on the dirt floor. A dirt floor? This was no hospital. His focus slid to his cheek and shock and anger flowed in the mercenary. It was no icepack, but a steel-toed boot which belonged to Alex Kuro.

"Kuro," Irvine managed to spat when the boot was removed.

"In the flesh." Kuro gave a little mock bow and glared down at Irvine with superiority. Irvine slowly raised himself to sit on his knees. Now he could finally take in his surroundings.

Wherever they ended up, it was underground. The room was a square room, no larger than the meeting room at the military base. If Irvine had to guess, it was about thirty feet across and thirty feet wide. Five feet in front of him a long stair case led up to a trapdoor; it was the only exit. Along the wall to Irvine's right stood large control panels, all of which worked. _"What is this place?"_

As Irvine turned his head to glance behind him, Moonbay came into his view. Her eyes met his and a small, hurtful, grin came to her mouth. It seemed she had just wakened and was in much better condition than Irvine, except for the fact that she was tied to a pole and her hands and feet were both bound.

Irvine spun around to face Kuro, "What the hell do you want?"

Kuro paused for a moment, tapped his temple and then said, "I suppose in the most simplest of terms, I want revenge. But it's actually more than that."

"Revenge? On us?" Irvine cursed his legs and body, though they were both usually dependable, now they sat useless beneath him.

"More or less." Alex lazily leaned on one of the control panels and studied his two captives.

"Be more precise, damn it," Irvine demanded.

"I believe you are aware that the Lightning Saix was originally meant for an officer? That was before you came along with your damaged Wolf. It was supposed to be mine." He fingered the gun in his hand possessively.

"You hunted and caught us just so you could gain the Saix?" Irvine yelled.

"Well, and then there was that little incident at Blackfire. You destroyed my artifact research which was coming along nicely. The Geno Breaker would have been a nice addition to the collection."

"So you were behind that too?" Irvine's eyes narrowed.

"I know. What a surprise! But it makes sense if you think about it. Who was in a better position that me? I had control over the bandits in the area that did my bidding and I was also in charge of hunting down those same bandits. All I had to do was pretend I was on their tails and that they were just extremely clever."

"Bastard, you're a back-stabbing bastard."

Kuro took a breath, "True. But you know, I never really planned on killing you. This," he waved his hand around the room, "this whole plan came into mind after I found the artifacts."

Irvine felt his body crumble with resistance. Every move ached; he was in no position to fight back. But if he could just wait for Alex to make some mistake, it just might be what Irvine needed. Course, untying Moonbay would be another great asset . . .Moonbay. He looked back at her, wanting more than anything to get her out of this. It was his fault after all.

"You see, after I found the artifacts I found a way to accomplish my dream."

"How's that?" Moonbay spoke for the first time. As long as she kept him talking, they could stay alive. The only problem was: how are the ever going to beat him in their conditions? And to make matters worst, Kuro looked as comfortable as a cat in the sun; there were no worries written on his face.

"Artifacts give any Zoid unbelievable power," he held up a hand to stop the captives' protests, "But it also gives me control of that Zoid. You see, if I wanted to obtain the Lightning Saix, I would have to somehow break that incredible bond that it shares with its pilot."

Irvine and Moonbay glanced at each other; any normal person knew that the Saix was forever loyal to Irvine.

Kuro didn't seem to notice their exchange in thoughts because he continued, "Replacing the Zoid core is too risky and that was the only way possible at the time. I grew envious; it was after all supposed to be my Zoid. But then the artifacts surfaced. I researched them to learn their abilities. When I found that a person could also control the possessed Zoid, my revenge came to mind again."

"So as an experiment I attached them to the Geno Breaker. That Zoid, too, was loyal to its pilot. And yet I could control it with ease while it caused havoc in the desert. Then I knew all I had to do was capture the Lightning Saix and make it obey me. But as things go, you were assigned to the Blackfire area; I thought it would be the perfect time to steal the Saix. Can you see it now? Everyone would think that the Saix lost faith in you, and I would gain that Zoid just because I had the artifacts."

"Well, it didn't work," Irvine winced in pain again.

"No, but it looks like I'll get something out of it anyway. And honestly, this is better, considering I'll end up leaving you here," his hand moved around the room again, "while I take the destroyed Saix and Gun Sniper to the nearest police station. There I can say I found them and there was no sign of the pilots. Such a waste of a good Zoid though."

Moonbay was shocked at his confession; surely there must be cameras somewhere in this place? Whatever Kuro used to tie her up, it was scraping against her skin. Things were not looking good for them. Irvine was beaten up, mostly from the battle. But Moonbay had a sneaking suspicion that Kuro had dealt some blows while Irvine was unconscious.

"So now what?" Irvine demanded, even though he was in no position to do so. Just one moment, one time, that was all he needed to knock Kuro over and somehow summon the strength to beat him.

But Kuro was ignoring him. He seemed to have found new interest in the gun he was holding. It was the perfect opportunity. But could it really be that easy? Irvine didn't care at the moment, this was his chance and he was going to take it.

Irvine leaped up with a groan of pain and charged at Kuro. But the chance was a setup it seemed, Kuro lazily raised his gun and shot. The mercenary tumbled to the ground as Moonbay screamed out his name.

"And here I thought highly of you," he peered down at Irvine, who clutched his right shoulder and clenched his teeth. With a kick from Kuro, Irvine rolled over and swore.

"Let him be." Moonbay's voice was controlled and calm, but didn't hide her raging anger.

"You know, your loyalty to this man always surprised me. How could someone so beautiful pair up with this mercenary? A mercenary who hardly pays you any attention." Slowly, Kuro looked up from Irvine and pointed the gun at Moonbay. "And I'm beginning to wonder if it be better to just kill you both, here and now."

* * *

Oh, finally, this chapter is done. One more chapter to go, one more chapter to go! At least, that's the plan for now. Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for reviews! –randomcat23 


	7. Safe

Lucky number seven.

**Shout outs:** Crimson-Bride, Crazy Rikku Fan, Shubaltz crazist, MagCat, and IrvineSano

Oh reviewers, you make my day!

**Disclaimer:** Want to know a secret? Randomcat23 does not Zoids.

You'll have to forgive the lack of format in this chapter. . .the page break/ruler isn't working for me. Although its not a big deal, it bothers me! I'll eventually re-do the chapter when the line starts working again.

(BREAK)

**Chapter 7: Safe**

There was a short silence right after Alex raised the gun. Moonbay's mouth opened in shock and her eyes fixed on the gun. Her first impulse was to get the stupid rope or whatever it was off her hands and feet. While her eyes never left the weapon, Moonbay still attempted to loosen the bindings. Her hands were tied behind her back; it was no simple task.

"Come on, now. You think you can escape from those ropes?" Kuro inspected his captive. "All army officials obtain training in such skills as tying a hostage to a pole." To make his point clear he added, "Those ropes are not going anywhere."

Irvine rolled over on the ground, trying to get a better view of the situation. Although he would hate to admit it, he felt helpless. His hands were covered in blood, his blood, from just trying to stop the flow from the bullet hole. The mercenary's strength was gone, as was his ability to walk. The only thing he at left at the moment was a burning anger.

With a rush of defeat, Moonbay looked franticly at Irvine. Death seemed inevitable; the gun pointing at her was going nowhere. Irvine no longer had the ability to move, even if his will was strong. Her defeated eyes met his raging ones.

"Please don't look to him for any help," Kuro scorned. His face was twisted with horrible pity for Moonbay. "He can not help you, plus he wouldn't in the first place. Why would that mercenary waste his life for you?" His finger began to enclose on the trigger.

"You're, you're wrong," retorted Moonbay, breathing hard.

Irvine looked away for a moment. His brain was working hard, trying to come up with a plan. He did have a knife in his back pocket that would cut through those ropes. Now the only thing left was to somehow give it to Moonbay with a long enough distraction that Alex wouldn't stop her. Irvine squeezed his shoulder tighter. But even if Moonbay could escape from the ropes, how do they deal with Kuro?

The shot was loud and pounded on Moonbay's ears.

Summoning the strength he hadn't possessed until seconds ago, Irvine sprung up and received the bullet in his chest. There was a moment of recoil where he dropped the knife next to Moonbay. Then in hope of creating a diversion, Irvine tripped a stunned Kuro and knocked away the loaded weapon.

Moonbay, realizing there was no time to worry about Irvine, reached over and grabbed the knife. Immediately, she began sawing at the ropes, which was no easy task since her hands were locked behind her. When the ropes finally fell from her wrists, Irvine slumped against the wall, defeated and bleeding.

There was no time. With a speedy cut, Moonbay's legs were free and she stood up to challenge the weaponless Kuro.

He had no time to voice his surprise or dismay; Moonbay tripped him again. However, Alex swung his leg close to the ground and Moonbay fell as well. Now it was a mad race for the only available weapon in the room. Unfortunately, Kuro dove and his hand grasped the gun.

Alex turned back to Moonbay, his bloody face twisted in a smirk. With a heavy breath, he said, "Game over, nice try." The gun never went off. The clicking noises coming from the weapon were the only sounds left. Eyes wide, Kuro franticly looked at his weapon; there were no bullets left.

Moonbay breathed quickly as another shock silence entered the room. That was the second time in mere minutes that her life could have ended . . .

The quiet was only interrupted moments later by a soft sound. Kuro heard it too, and focused on the source: the mercenary sitting against the wall. Irvine was chuckling slightly despite his condition.

"You." Kuro understood. When Irvine had hit him and knocked away the gun, he had skillfully released all the bullets. They were now scattered across the floor, useless. The shock from the surprise stunned Alex; he continued to glare at Irvine, his fists shaking.

Moonbay was grateful for this little distraction. It gave her time to catch her breath and create a makeshift plan. Her enemy was still rooted to the spot where he fell, apparently pissed that his plan was foiled. _"One more moment,"_ Moonbay thought quickly while her breath continued to return to normal.

Alex gasped when the transporter hit him, but he recovered faster than Moonbay had expected. She was thrown back and grimaced when her head contacted with the control panels on the wall. There was no time to rub her head; Kuro was up and ready to claim his victory. His arm stretched out in a punch, Moonbay dodged and ran to the side.

Alex wiped his mouth on his sleeve and grinned. He disposed the empty gun on the ground and inhaled. Moonbay backed herself up against the panels, her fingers brushing over the buttons as if they would solve her problems.

"I grow tired of your relentlessness."

Her eyes never left his. Moonbay knew that if she looked away, just once, he would make it his advantage. She didn't know why he sounded so cocky; now that his gun was gone they were on the same level. Maybe he was just an arrogant idiot.

She took a bold step forward and Alex did the same. His hands were suddenly clamped around Moonbay's arms as he pinned her against the nearest wall. A cry escaped her mouth when her head was hit.

"Now just stay put," Kuro breathed in her ear. His one hand rose to strike Moonbay.

With some quick thinking, Moonbay shifted slightly and kicked Alex between the legs. He doubled over in pain and spat out, "Bitch." She dove for the discarded gun and ran back to Kuro, who was now kneeling on the floor. Moonbay's leg, once again, connected with Kuro's and he staggered. She formed a fist and was about to punch Alex when Moonbay received one of her own.

With some luck, her feet didn't fail her and Moonbay kept her balance. Kuro made a move to enclose the space, but Moonbay was faster. A quick smack in the head with the weapon sent Alex falling for the floor, out cold.

Taking a breath of relief, Moonbay walked over to Alex's fallen form and poked him with her foot. There was no movement and Moonbay finally stumbled down to her knees, exhausted.

"_It's done. He's defeated . . . We can turn him in . . ." _Moonbay paused at this thought. How exactly were they going to prove Alex Kuro did all this? _"We'll have to settle that later."_

At that moment Alex stirred, but didn't get up. As a precaution, Moonbay leapt up and grabbed two pairs of handcuffs from Alex's pocket. She placed one pair on each wrist and locked Alex to the pole in the room. Even if he did wake up, there was no escape; Moonbay held the keys.

It was then when Irvine shifted Moonbay realized she had forgotten about him. Her heart beat faster as Moonbay commanded her legs to carry her to him. He was in terrible shape. One hand was clasping his shoulder and the other was clamped against the newest bullet wound in his chest. Luckily, both bullets had missed vital organs. When she bent down, he grinned at her lightly.

"Good stuff out there," he managed weakly.

Moonbay franticly searched for something to bandage the injuries with. "I did nothing without your help." Her hands eventually found the knife. Why hadn't she thought of this before? It would have given her the advantage over Kuro. Shaking her head, she began to cut at her shirt, hoping to get a piece long enough for a bandage.

Irvine watched her every move, he was about to disagree with her last comment, but decided against it. Now there was no time for petty arguments.

A final rip caused the edge of Moonbay's shirt to fall to the ground. She picked it up and began wrapping Irvine's shoulder. The pathetic bandaged was quickly soaked with blood; it didn't help the cause at all. Moonbay picked up the knife again hoping to get another bandage but Irvine's hand stopped her.

"It won't do any good," and when she began to protest he continued, "Try and open that hatch at the top of the stairs. Sitting down here will do us no good."

Her feet moved fast up the stairs, so fast she stumbled. There was a driving force that made Moonbay move. Her life was no longer in danger, but Irvine's, his was so fragile right now. When her hand clasped around the handle, it didn't budge. Hope drained out of her body. In a desperate act, Moonbay charged the door with her shoulder only to be repelled.

As Moonbay made her way back to Irvine she stated unnecessarily, "I couldn't get it to open."

Irvine rested his head against the wall and coughed. "Try the control panels. Maybe there's something that could help." His voice was so weak. The mercenary blinked. Black spots were flashing more and more frequently across his eyes.

"There's nothing there either. Even the parts that have power only link to screens, not a communicator," Moonbay admitted, defeated. "Or the door opener."

Irvine sighed and glanced at her. There was defeat in his eyes too and that was the last thing Moonbay wanted to see. In an effort to comfort him, she sat next to him and placed her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. It was then the transporter realized how cold it was in the room and she shivered.

Minutes passed. Moonbay was constantly aware of how irregular Irvine's breathing had become. Sometimes his grip on her hand would loosen and then tighten quickly only to be loosened again. They just had to escape. But Moonbay had tried everyway possible. It's not like there was a lot of ways out of an underground room.

Tears betrayed Moonbay's smooth face. They slid down her cheeks and onto her hands. There was no way she could control her despair anymore. In a sudden breakdown, Moonbay sobbed loudly into Irvine's left shoulder.

"You, you can't," she sobbed, "leave me."

"Wh, who said anything about leaving?" Irvine asked. And when Moonbay didn't answer him he started again, "Hey, I just can't move right now. Yeah, I feel like shit, but we'll get out of, out of this." He shook his head slightly; the spots were back.

How could she yell at someone in his condition? But that's really what Moonbay wanted to do. How could Irvine, even in the face of death, keep that mercenary calm?

So instead of complaining and yelling at him for being a fool, Moonbay quieted again. Moments later, Irvine began mumbling. She checked his wounds which still bled although it wasn't as bad as before. The bullets still needed to come out. . .

Out of the silence Moonbay heard a small, "Hey." At first she wasn't even sure she had heard it, but when she glanced down at Irvine, he was looking back with half-lidded eyes.

"What, Irvine?" She had softened her voice from the last thing she said.

"When we get out of here," he cut off with a cough.

Was that a positive tone in his voice? Was this another attempt at making her feel better?

And then he was silent for a long time. Moonbay began to worry that he had been rambling. Had the injury gotten to his head? She reached over and squeezed his other hand. Her face was now even with his, and Moonbay could see the pain in his eyes. They were half closed and glazed over . . .

"I want you to marry me."

There was a pause before the words registered in Moonbay's head. When the sentence and its significance finally hit Moonbay she looked at him in wonder. Surely she had just heard him wrong? However, Moonbay never got to ask Irvine. He was passed out.

Forcing the question out of her mind, Moonbay franticly took Irvine's pulse and rechecked all his wounds. The weight of 'death' and 'surprise' were both pounding down on her shoulders. _"First thing's first. Make sure Irvine's ok, then I can figure out. . ."_ As she was gently inspecting the hole in his shoulder, a light knock sounded from above her. Did the trapdoor just move?

Caught up in the wonderful, though unlikely possibility, Moonbay ran up the stairs once again. When she was half way up the stairs, she tripped again. But when Moonbay picked herself back up, there was light on the stairs and not darkness. She looked for the source franticly and found it. The trapdoor was open.

Seconds later, two heads filled in the space of the door. Moonbay almost cried out with joy; Vicky and Shiro's questioning glances entered the doorway.

(BREAK)

So, I had considered finishing this fic up in this chapter. (I know this one is on the short side.) It would have been really long and honestly, I think it's better to leave you guys hanging for another chapter. (evil laugh) Actually, this is a good place to stop. Thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated! –randomcat23


	8. Bonus Chapter

Alright people.

**First off**: This chapter doesn't fit into the plot. It's an extra chapter. I wrote it because some people expressed an interest in the whole Vicky/Shiro couple in the first fic. If you don't want to read this, no problem, it has nothing to do with this story line. Like I said, it's a bonus.

**Second thing:** Originally, I wanted to post this with the final chapter. However, since school has started I have not had a lot of time to type up my fics. Since this chapter was done over the summer, I'd figured I'd post it now . . . you know, just to let you know I'm not dead!

If you do decide to read it, I hope you like this. Vicky and Shiro have that whole love/hate thing. It's fun to write...

This takes place after White Rain, months after . . . but it makes no connections to it, so that's why I can post it now. Yay.

* * *

"SHIROTAKA!" Vicky's screaming voice echoed though the now empty hanger. "Where the hell did that man go?" She closed one eye in thought, and brought her oven-mitten clad hands to her waist. Strands of blonde hair had escaped her messy bun and hung in her eyes. A simple sigh blew the hair out of her face and she left the Shiro-less room. 

Vicky's search brought her to the still, empty, kitchen. The smell of chicken drifted about mixing with the distinct scent of desert air floating in from the open window. Fall was coming fast; the air was cooler and the days shorter. Another summer gone. Another summer spent. And what a crazy summer it had been.

Plopping herself down, Vicky stabbed at the chicken on her plate. This was the 'bazillionth' time this week Shirotaka had disappeared. "What is that man's problem? A simple note is all that is needed. Or even better: talk to my face." Fingers drummed the table, the clock ticked in the background. "Eh, he can heat up the stupid thing when he gets back." The blonde haired pilot shrugged and left Shiro's cooling dinner on the table.

* * *

Her hand had just clasped around a wrench when Shiro entered the hanger. The moons had already risen and the night noises of the town started picking up. Vicky lowered her hand in an attempt to keep herself from throwing the tool. Instead, she voiced her anger, "Where the hell have you been Shiro?" 

With a cock of his eyebrow, he glanced up at her standing on her Command Wolf. "What's it to you?" His face was smeared with dirt and he brushed it off with the back of his hand.

"It would be nice to know where you are every once in a while."

She watched him start to turn away.

"Hey, as long as you're positioned in this town, you have to report to me for any jobs the army wants to do." She yelled at him.

Shiro was half-way out the door.

Yelling again she scolded, "All I'm asking for is a note of some kind!"

Pausing, his white-haired head spun around and he smirked, "Yeah, I'll have to try that sometime."

* * *

Ever since the Geno Breaker had been defeated, Blackfire had become a very thriving city, not to mention a military base. While this was all fine and good, it brought extra work to the already posted soldiers here, Vicky being one of them. And it didn't help that she was, after all, Herman's daughter; organization and function were expected at all times. Otherwise, there were consequences. 

Vicky's hand twisted a wrench. _"And to top it all off, I'm 'responsible' for Shiro." _She laughed; nobody could be responsible for Shiro. He was his own army, responsible only for himself. Course, no one saw it like that. So Vicky remained 'responsible' for Shirotaka. He didn't make the job easy though. His sneers and overall arrogance trampled over Vicky's nerves everyday.

"_Just ignore him,"_ She would tell herself.

And she tried, she really did. But her anger boiled under her skin and Vicky needed an outlet. Throwing down the towel in her hand, she jumped off her Command Wolf and retreated into her room. She freshened up a bit, changed out of her work clothes, and walked into the kitchen which was once again, Shiro-less.

"All I ask," She clenched her fists, "is for a simple note." But when her eyes found the cleaned dishes next to the sink, all dried and stacked neatly, the anger melted slightly, but only slightly.

The night air was crisp and the sky twinkled with thousands of stars. _"Not a cloud in sight. This is one of the times desert weather is awesome."_

Noises filled the area as locals walked along the streets, hand in hand or laughing with their companions. Street lights cast shadows over the ground, making the night last forever. Vicky sighed and walked to the bar, the taste for a drink strong in her mouth.

"Long time no see, Victoria." The bartender, Mike, smirked and placed a drink in front of her.

Vicky accepted it with a smile, "You know its just 'Vicky'."

Mike shrugged, "Say what you want, your father always calls ya Victoria."

"Well, that's dad for you." She sipped the beverage, sighing with relief. "Business sure is booming tonight."

His eyes widened at the fact. "Tell ya the truth; I'm kinda surprised at the crowd. Not that I'm going to complain." At that moment, another man took a seat two seats down from Vicky. Mike nodded 'bye' to Vicky and took the man's order.

Out of the corner around she studied the people gathered in the bar. _"Bunch of out-of-towners. Tourism has increased since the Geno Breaker incident." _She shrugged to herself and took another swig.

"Heeeey, you."

"_Uh oh."_ She turned to face one of the locals. His shaggy red hair hung in his eyes, but it didn't hide the fact that they were bright blue. The man was tall, very tall, and his desert boots only added to his height. A small grin was slapped on his face, but Vicky wasn't amused.

"Hello Ryan," she started calmly.

He laughed. "Don't look so happy to see me, Herman." Ryan took a seat next to her and took a sip of the drink he was carrying around. "Busy?"

"I could be."

"Always the funny one, huh Herman?" His arm slipped around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "I haven't seen you in awhile. How about you and me get out of here and find something better to do?"

Vicky stiffened and shrugged his arm off, "I thought I told you I'm not interested in doing _anything_ with you."

He replaced his hand on her, "Don't give me the cold shoulder," his voice took on a surprising dark tone, "you can't run from me forever."

"Look, Ryan, just because every other girl wants to be yours doesn't me _I_ want to be yours." Vicky was beginning to wonder where everyone else in the bar could be.

And for a moment, Ryan backed off and took another drink. "Defiant aren't you?" His blue eyes focused on her, "I don't see why you take this attitude with me. If I remember correctly, we were best friends at one time."

Vicky fingered her glass and glanced at the door, "Yeah, well, things change don't they? You're just a tad possessive." She got up to leave, waving to Mike. Unfortunately, Ryan followed.

"'Possessive'? Come on, if anything I'm protective."

"Call it want you want." Herman's daughter stepped outside, enjoying the light breeze.

"Oh, silly Victoria. You spend all your days alone in that hanger of yours; you've forgotten how to have a good time."

"_Oh, boy."_ With a swift movement, Vicky turned on her heel, and glared at Ryan. "Who would have thought, Ryan, that I should have a job? Job's do tend to take up time. And I'm not alone, I do communicate with people everyday, I _work_ with them. It happens."

"Work, work, work. Just this once, come with me, you won't regret it." His hand clasped around hers. "I could call up some of the old crowd and we could go down to the café. Just like we used to."

For a moment, she considered leaving with him, but reality closed in quickly. "You can't repeat the past, Ryan. You and I," she stared at him, "we had our chance, and it didn't work out. It never will."

Ryan scoffed, "What Herman? I'm not good enough for you? You rather hang around that Shirotaka, hmm? That bastard, I've seen the way he treats you."

"You know nothing about him," she defended and her voice became bitter. "Say nothing about him."

"You'd defend him, Herman?" Ryan spat, "How can someone so cold take care of you?"

"He may be cold, but he doesn't look to control me." Her eyes burned with anger, and her hand clenched in a fist. "And he doesn't take care of me. I take care of myself."

Minutes passed, the streetlights began to dim–a signal that it was almost midnight. "Just this once," he whispered and tugged her hand.

"No, I, I gotta," she stuttered as she realized his grip wasn't loosening, if anything it was becoming tighter. _"Now what?"_

"The night is just beginning; you can't expect me to believe that you have to go. Who you gonna run home to? That bandit bastard?"

She was about to give one final yank of her arm when another limb entered the scene and latched itself onto Ryan's forearm.

"Who the hell are you, buddy?" Ryan spat at the newcomer. Vicky glanced sideways at the person and knew him all to well: Shiro.

"Do you make it your hobby to harass people?" Apparently Shiro's grip outmatched Ryan's because the red-head promptly released Vicky's hand.

"I don't remember ever inviting you. And I don't remember ever addressing you either. This conversation was between Victoria and me."

Shiro smirked, "Looked to me as if you were talking to yourself . . . And holding her against her will."

Vicky was as dumbfounded as Ryan. _"Where in the world did he come from?"_ She wondered. When her mind snapped back to reality she realized Ryan was leaving and muttering something that sounded like, "See ya later Victoria."

"Bye," she whispered, still stunned at what had occurred. It wasn't until Ryan had retreated back to the bar that Shiro spoke.

"Are you just going to stand there?"

Her eyes met his aqua ones. She couldn't tell if he had been watching her for the past few minutes, or if he had turned suddenly to talk; he had that blank stare on his face.

"No. . .No." She repeated, finally finding herself. If any of her negative feelings from earlier had survived, they were complete erased now. Shiro nodded, understanding, and began to walk away. "You didn't have to do that," the answer was rushed, and she hadn't planned on saying it.

With his back still turned away, the white-haired pilot spoke, "Would you have been able to get away if I hadn't interfered?"

Biting back a retort she started, "Eventually."

He shrugged in an unbelieving way. "If you say so."

"You don't think I could?"

He glared at her with cold, unbelieving eyes.

"Well, thank _you_, Shiro. I'm so glad you have confidence in me." Dust got kicked up as Shiro's boot kicked a rock. He turned to her and glared and she glared back. "I really am not in the mood for your glares right now."

The blonde's voice had no effect on the pilot, however. He walked away, silent and cold as ever. His abrupt departure left Vicky feeling alone and discontented.

* * *

"I am such a child sometimes," Vicky mused. Although it was dark out, she hadn't bothered to turn on any lights; she sat in her black room alone. "I just can't say anything right around him . . . everything comes out as a challenge." Her body flopped down on the bed as the sound of howling cat entered from outside. Rolling over, she pulled her clock into sight; it was only 12:30. 

"And where is Shiro now?" The thought of his name made Vicky bury her face in a pillow. "I should have . . . thanked him properly instead of letting his taunts get to me."

And that was just the problem wasn't it? All he ever said to her was sarcasm, a scold or a yell. Even in situations like tonight, only Shiro could turn his rescue into a verbal fight. And it's not like Vicky hadn't been taunted before. Why did his bother her so much? _"He's different from the other people though. I've never had one of his reputation make fun of me before, treat me like a child."_

There was the answer. Anyone who upset Herman's daughter usually got some kind of punishment. Shiro on the other hand, paid no mind to the fact that she was Herman's daughter. Rules and laws were below him. Common courtesy was a foreign policy.

Vicky rolled over again. _"There are some times when I wish I could be like him. Free to do and act however I pleased. But unlike him, I'm bound by my own reputation to follow orders . . . In some ways I envy him."_

The grinding sound of the hanger door opening brought Vicky back into reality. In one jump she was at the window, searching for the intruder. With a breath of relief, Vicky watched as Shiro entered the hanger; it was no stranger after all.

With a sudden rush of guilt, Vicky jumped off her bed and ran downstairs. She could at least try to set some things right, couldn't she? Even if Shiro didn't get the message, if he just ignored her apology, at least Vicky tried.

The town was still bustling with life; its sounds echoed off the buildings. Vicky glanced at the lights with longing. A part of her hoped that one day she and Shiro could hang out as friends, not forced companions. Sighing, she approached the open hanger door and stepped in.

Moonlight streamed in through the opening in the roof. _"Shiro must have opened it," _Vicky decided. She was almost positive she had shut everything up right.

Her eyes glanced around the seemingly empty hanger. There was no one in sight. It wasn't until Vicky looked up at the Zaber Tiger that she finally found Shiro. He was seated on the head, stretched out like a cat in the light.

Vicky began to climb up the Zoid's leg. She just had to apologize and make it ok again. Well, 'ok' as their relationship ever got. While climbing, it was the first time she had ever been on this Zoid. It was the first time she ever saw the moonlight shine through the transparent armor of the Tiger. It was eerie and somewhat beautiful.

When she finally reached the top of the shoulder armor, Shiro was in plan sight, his back still turned to her. Has she been silent enough to go unnoticed? But when she began climbing up the head, Vicky got her answer.

"If you had said you were coming up, I would have had the Zaber lower itself." The pilot turned partly around so that his aqua eyes met Vicky's.

Vicky took a breath; climbing the Zoid was no easy task. "I didn't know if you would let me up," she admitted, embarrassed.

Shiro shrugged and didn't protest when Vicky sat down beside him. It was a clear night, and with the full moon it was almost as bright as day.

For some time both occupants of the Zaber's head remained silent. Shiro had nothing to say and Vicky was piecing together an apology that Shiro might not even care for. Eventually, she looked at him and said, "I'm sorry."

Shiro didn't return her look, but blinked and kept looking at the stars. "That's the first time I've ever heard that come from your mouth."

She cast her gaze down and swallowed. Did she actually expect him to accept the apology? Instead of retorting, Vicky just looked up at the stars which shone brightly and clearly. There was a calmness between them; maybe Shiro actually acknowledged the apology.

Abruptly, Shiro spoke, "I received a letter the other day talking about my replacement."

The blonde pilot was taken back. _"So he has to leave anyway."_ Vicky tired to hide the disappointment in her voice, but didn't do a very good job. "Where are they placing you next?"

"I ripped it up." Shiro said it as if he didn't believe it himself.

Vicky blinked, "You ripped it up? Why?"

Shiro looked away from the sky and back at Vicky. His eyes narrowed in thought as he answered, "I don't think I want to leave this place."

"_Shiro? Not wanting to leave?" _Vicky blinked again and her mouth opened slightly. "That's news to me." But it wasn't said as sarcasm, it was said in wonder.

"It's news to me too. I thought that as soon as I could, I would leave. But here I am, almost a year after, and I don't want to go. I've been tearing up letters for months."

"Shiro . . . I haven't seen any letters."

"Of course not. I've been stealing them out of the mail and tearing them up. I'd know you'd be all too eager to get rid of me. But when asked why I don't want to leave, I have no answer."

All this time, and they felt the same. Vicky had been wondering for awhile why Shiro was still posted in Blackfire. His task had been fulfilled and he could have gone.

They fell silent again, one confused about his own thoughts and the other trying to sort out their conversation. After some time and thought, Vicky said, "Maybe, maybe the reason why you don't want to leave is, well, because you think of this place as your home."

Shiro gave a heartless laugh, "I've never had a home. What would make this place so special?"

"Don't play dumb. I've seen the way you look when you're out playing soccer with the town's kids." And there was a jealous note in Vicky's voice as she added, "That's the only time I've ever seen you so happy."

He took a ragged breath, "Kids and soccer do not make a home."

"No, but happiness does." She was now glaring at him. "Wherever a person is happy, that is their home."

"Is this place your home then?" The question was soft and Vicky nearly missed it.

Vicky's hand came to rest on her cheek as she paused in thought. "I think, I think I have a few homes." Her gaze returned to the sky, "My childhood home with my dad is one. And this place, Blackfire, I feel content here too. But, there are other places too, and not all are 'homes'."

"You mean like people who are close to you?" He looked at her.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Then maybe . . ."

"'Maybe' what, Shiro?"

Shiro laughed to himself, almost mockingly, "Maybe I've finally found a place to call 'home'."

Vicky grinned, "I'll have to write a letter to Dad about this. Even though you're not in the army, they seem to ask for your help a lot."

"That's only because they need someone like me. A person who's not in the army has an easier time blending in and getting answers."

"In any case, I'll write one up to Dad in the morning."

The stars glittered against the black sky and a cool breeze blew up from the south. That was a problem with the desert; as soon as the sun finished setting and the warmth lifted, it got cold. Vicky brought her hands to her arms and shivered.

"Since you're gettin' cold, maybe we should go in?" Shiro lazily looked at Herman's daughter. He was anything but cold.

There was something in his voice, it was almost—dare she think it—caring? With a slight look of wonder painted on her face, Vicky responded, "Yeah, good idea." She then continued with: "Yeah, I have to close up this hanger, finish the paperwork, and get ready for tomorrow." There was no way Vicky would make it seem that the reason why she was going in was because Shiro suggested it.

And before she knew it, Vicky's legs stood up and began to climb down the large, yellow Zoid. Shiro tapped his fingers on his Zoid's armor and whispered a few things. The Saber Fang roared lightly and agreed.

"Hey, Vicky, stop where you are, Zaber's going to lower for you."

There wasn't enough time for the words to register; the Zoid was soon crouched down, making it much easier to climb. Vicky looked up, about to wave her thanks, when Shiro came to the edge of the Saber's head and jumped off. He landed smoothly next to Vicky.

A quick shake of his head sent the already rebellious, white, bangs back into place. Without a word, he began walking to the door, leaving Vicky a tad wondered and confused by his actions. He was actually coming with her?

They exited in silence. Shiro helped Vicky close up the hanger without a word of complaint. The two of them then started their way back to the house. The warm light on the porch made the ground glow. When Shiro stepped into the light, he stopped. Vicky turned around to face him, only to see that he was looking at her.

"What's up, Shiro?"

"Want to know my deciding factor?"

His what? "Your deciding factor of . . ." she left the ending open and gestured with her hands to get him to finish the question.

"The factor that convinced me to stay here." Shiro stepped up to stand next to her. His aqua eyes studied her, but they weren't studying her in superiority. It looked like, Shiro didn't believe—would not believe—what he was about to say.

Vicky's mouth hung opened for a second as if she was pondering her response. Then she nodded and said, "Yeah, I would like to know. What exactly changed your mind? What makes this your home?"

There was no pause when he answered, "You." And with a satisfied smirk, he looked at Vicky as her face when from question to surprise to complete denial. Rolling his eyes, Shiro's gloved hand shook her shoulder and then gave her a push. Vicky stumbled to the ground, shocked.

Shiro, satisfied with the outcome, headed back into the house. Vicky on the other hand, when she finally recovered, stood up and brushed the dusty dirt off her clothes. With her hands on her hips, Vicky walked back into her house and frowned. There were so many questions flowing through her head, so many. And Shiro had once again disappeared.

Taking a deep breath, Vicky yelled, "SHIROTAKA!"

And the automatic response: "What do you want?" He leaned against the doorframe into the kitchen.

She smiled and let out a breath. At least some things never change.

* * *

Woot! I finally got this thing done. And I know people wanted them to get together as in a couple. But I just couldn't do it in on chapter. Oh, well, I hope this was satisfying. Maybe someday I'll be able to write more with these two, but for now, it's done. Thanks for reading! Type up a review if you wish! –randomcat23 


	9. End

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Zoids!**

**:) Last chapter guys! **

* * *

**Chapter 8: End**

The air in the hospital was stale. Doctors carrying clipboards marched up and down the hallways, pausing every once in awhile to look in a window. Their eyes would pause on Moonbay or Vicky and then turn away.

There was nothing more to say. Irvine was in intensive care and that was all. There was no visiting hours for someone in his condition, especially considering neither Moonbay nor Vicky was family.

Vicky paced the floor. She would glance at her friend and then pace again. "It sucks being helpless," she mumbled to herself and then walked around another set of chairs.

Moonbay's eyes were glued to the floor. Her head pounded with thoughts of the last few hours. Or was it days? How long had it been since Vicky and Shiro had found and rescued them from that underground prison?

* * *

_**flashback**_

"_Whoa, what's going on?" Vicky stumbled onto the staircase. "We followed you here and found your busted up Zoids. Oh, God! Is that blood on your hands? Moonbay—"_

"_Shut up, Vicky! Quick, Irvine has a bullet in this shoulder, we need to get him help." Without another word, Moonbay jumped down the stairs as Vicky and the ever-silent Shiro followed._

* * *

_It was hard for them to carry Irvine up the stairs. Moonbay supported his head, all the while growing more and more worried. He had lost so much blood . . ._

_At the top of the staircase, Shiro's Saber was waiting with the cockpit opened. _

"_I'll take him to the hospital. You two come with the Gustav and bring Kuro." And before Moonbay could protest, Shiro was piloting the Saber Fang away. Warm tears flooded down her face, contrasting with the cold snow._

* * *

_Vicky kicked the unconscious Kuro and said, "Never liked him anyway." She walked over to the control panel and asked, "You think those cameras work, Moonbay? We need evidence of Kuro attacking you."_

_Despite her current mental state, the transporter answered, "Our Zoids are banged up. The claw marks will match the Dark Spiner's."_

"_Good point." The blonde hit a button and a screen turned on. The footage that followed captured Kuro advancing on Moonbay, Irvine slumped against the wall, and Kuro falling himself after Moonbay defeated him. "What luck! It looks like when you stood against the panel here," Vicky paused the tape and pointed, "You turned on the camera." She turned back to Moonbay and grinned, "We got him!"_

* * *

"_Vicky, how did you manage to find us?" Moonbay had been pondering this for quite some time._

_The transporter and the army solider were currently traveling to the city. Kuro was tied up in the back and ever so often a soft moan would escape his mouth. We that happened, Vicky made no attempt to run over a few rough bumps in the road._

"_Oh, that." Vicky's grin was filled with guilt. "Remember that basket I gave you?" _

_Moonbay nodded._

"_Well," Vicky continued, "I'm sure you found the tiny disk thing in it? It's actually a tracking device." She glanced nervously at Moonbay. A death glare was sent back at her. "Hey, come on! I was worried. Did you honestly think I'd let you go in alone?"_

_At that, Moonbay had to laugh, "No, I suppose not." Trees flew by as Vicky pressed the Gustav to its limit. More moments passed and then Moonbay muttered, "Thank you."_

_**End flashback**_

* * *

Moonbay let out another sigh. There was a tight knot in her throat that had formed after she arrived at the hospital. No matter how many times she tried to swallow it, the ball of discontentment remained. She was tired of feeling that way, discontented. 

What was wrong with her? Moonbay knew better than anyone how stubborn Irvine was! The man would never let death beat him. And they had captured Kuro, had they not? So, what was this constant feeling of gloom?

Her eyebrow's wrinkled in thought. Why was she so, not Moonbay-like? No matter how many times she asked herself this, no answer presented itself. It wasn't Irvine's comment about marriage was it? No, Moonbay had pushed that to the back of her mind for the moment. And besides, it's not like that was a BAD thing.

After searching and still receiving no conclusion, Moonbay just sighed again. Letting all the grief and worry out felt good. She stretched her arms above her head and stood up.

There was no point in worrying about anything right now because whatever came at her, Moonbay could handle it.

Finally feeling more like herself, Moonbay looked over at Vicky and said, "I'm going to go find a hotel room."

A bit surprised, Vicky answered, "Here," and handed her a key. "Shiro picked up three rooms." There was another pause and then, "You sure you're ok?"

And with the first smile on her face in a long time, Moonbay answered, "Yeah, I'm just great."

* * *

Moonbay tapped her fingers on the chair's arm. Currently, she, Vicky, and Shiro were getting the load-down on the situation with Kuro. 

His trial was set for next week. And while they had produced a lot of evidence against him, it will take a long time to convict him.

Moonbay inwardly cursed the biased treatment Kuro was receiving. It's not that she didn't expect something like this, but honestly, Prozen was once a trusted man too. And everyone knew his true colors now.

While the solider continued to babble about the court case, the door quietly opened and Irvine snuck in.

"_How did he get out of the hospital?"_ Moonbay watched him with disbelief but then noticed how the lump in her throat disappeared. She didn't feel like criticizing him; she was too happy to have him back.

When his eyes settled on Moonbay, Irvine gave her a small smirk. A pale white cloth was slung around his right shoulder, supporting the injured arm. No matter how hard he tired, Irvine couldn't hide the stiffness of his body from Moonbay. The pain was obvious.

Amazingly enough, the solider who was chatting did not notice Irvine sneak in. Gingerly, Irvine made his way over to an empty chair and sat next to Moonbay. She gave him a sideways glance and was finally convinced that he would live.

They had a lot to talk about and the words were bubbling up in Moonbay's mouth. This was not the place to say them, however. A few more minutes passed by and the solider finally started to sum things up. Basically, all he had said was: Kuro would go under trail and they, meaning Irvine and Moonbay, would have to testify.

"_What a waste of time," _the transporter thought. _"We knew what it would come down to."_

The solider exited after shaking each one of their hands. Vicky and Shiro promptly came to Irvine, Vicky inspecting and Shiro looking on in admiration.

"I thought you would be in that bed for a long, long time," Vicky commented while scratching her temple. "But, it's good to see you up and moving again!"

The four of them left the meeting room at that time and split up. Vicky had to meet with some army officials and Shiro was quickly dragged by the arm away with her.

It was late, almost eleven. Moonbay yawned and offered, "We could go back to the hotel."

"Sounds good to me, I'm exhausted." Irvine copied Moonbay's yawn and followed her across the street.

The hotel was empty and warm. An attendant sat at the desk and sprang up when the two Zoid pilots came in. He quickly sat back down, much to his disappointment, when Moonbay waved keys in the air. They already had a room; there was nothing for the attendant to do.

Nobody traveled the halls, Moonbay was thankful for that. The last thing she wanted was to be questioned and looked at by people. Besides, she had other things on her mind.

Irvine was silent as ever behind her. As Moonbay put the key into the lock Irvine's gaze drilled into the back of her head. She could feel it, asking, wondering, and drawing conclusions. Moonbay knew what it was about. She knew she hadn't brought it up.

That one sentence would be the topic of discussion for quite some time tonight.

Maybe she opened to door too quickly because Moonbay slipped and stumbled into the room. Quickly composing herself, Moonbay informed Irvine that she was going to change and would be right back. He didn't answer as she found her way to the bathroom in the dark.

Irvine raised an eyebrow and flicked on a light switch. Unconsciously, Irvine slowly rubbed his bandaged shoulder and took a place on the faded couch. His body stiffly stretched out and Irvine winced. It would be a long time before he was back up to speed.

"Irvine, do you want anything to eat?" Moonbay had emerged from the bathroom and was busy getting herself a glass of water.

"No thanks." He glanced at her with tired eyes. "Why don't you just sit down?" She obeyed and took a seat. Carefully, Moonbay settled herself next to Irvine and rested her head on his good shoulder. When nobody said anything, Irvine took it upon himself to start. "You're quiet, Moonbay."

"I know . . ."

"What's bothering you?"

"Nothing, nothing is bothering me." To convince Irvine, Moonbay gave him a small grin.

A few more wordless minutes passed and then Irvine wrapped his arm around Moonbay's shoulders and concluded, "It's about what I said." He could feel her tense against him.

"Irvine," Moonbay paused to find words, "I wasn't even sure if you knew what you were saying."

"I knew, alright. After I said it, I couldn't believe I had though." With that confession, the awkwardness melted away from the room.

Moonbay reached for his hand, "You know I, I would. I will."

"Will what?"

How dry her throat was! But, Moonbay managed to say, "Marry you of course!"

And despite his current state, Irvine broke out into a grin. "Now, was that so hard?"

"Well," Moonbay frowned, "It's not an everyday decision, Irvine."

"You should have seen yourself earlier; you wouldn't even look at me." He brought her closer by squeezing her shoulder. "I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable." He kissed her softly and lovingly, and then said, "It's been a long day, how about bed?"

Moonbay's face broke into a smile as she gave his hand a quick squeeze. "Yeah, you need your rest." The two then climbed into an oversized bed and immediately after their head touched the soft pillows, sleep grasped them.

* * *

With a flutter of eyelashes, Moonbay woke up and yawned. The cheap blinds over the window did nothing to stop the sunlight's advance. The room could get no brighter. A quick glance at the clock told Moonbay it was just before nine. She only got seven hours of sleep, but it had been a long time since the transporter had felt so rested. 

Irvine still slept; that was no surprise. What Moonbay found surprising, however, was their current relationship.

"_Ten years ago he was an arrogant jerk and nothing more. Three years passed and he became a reliable friend. Another two years and they were more like siblings. Now, look where we are."_

She grinned and quietly got out of bed. Today they could finally spend relaxing. There would be no worries, no battles, and no life threatening experiences. This thought consoled Moonbay as she dressed and made herself a small breakfast.

With a bowl in hand, Moonbay plopped down on the coach and flicked on the TV. A newscaster appeared, shuffling his papers. The first words out of his mouth were: "We now have more details about General Alex Kuro's arrest—"

Moonbay changed the channel. That was the last thing she wanted to hear about now. But as she stared at game shows, dramas, and cartoons, her mind wondered. She felt uneasy. How could she be watching this after everything that happened? Reality had yet to set in and watching TV was almost TOO normal right now.

So instead, Moonbay settled with a magazine. But that too was filled with talk of celebrities and other meaningless things. Feeling lost, Moonbay returned to the bedroom and fell down on the bed. Sleep didn't come, but Moonbay didn't mind. It was nice to just sit and have nothing to think about.

Pounding came from the other room every once in a while. Vicky yelled from the hallway something about more meetings. That was an easy thing to ignore. Vicky would understand. Moonbay buried her head in the pillow once more.

The week passed slowly. Irvine slept a lot and Moonbay could only expect as much. Vicky appeared at the door at least three times a day just to make sure everything was fine and to drop by with the latest news. (Shiro had gone back to the underground hole and concluded it was a Sleeper Zoid control room.) On other occasions, Vicky asked them to come to yet another meeting. Moonbay always made sure to not answer the door.

One night Irvine convinced Moonbay to 'sneak' out with him. It was late—much past midnight—but Irvine led her straight to the bar. She was about to chastise him (He wasn't supposed to drink with all the pain killers he was taking) but Irvine shoved a drink in Moonbay's hand to shut her up.

As the days drifted along, the trial approached. Moonbay tried not to think about it and slowly got reacquainted with the daily soap operas.

In fact, she was eagerly watching one when Irvine emerged from the bedroom, sat down and picked up the phone.

"What are you doing?" Moonbay asked when the commercials came on.

"I'm calling Thomas." He said it in such a matter-of-fact way that it took Moonbay awhile to comprehend the reason. Thinking back, Irvine did break the bet, so he was just completing it.

With a crazy grin, Moonbay crossed her arms and waited while the phone rang.

Irvine frowned slightly and coughed during the ringing. He raised his eyebrows a few times and Moonbay giggled.

"_Hello?"_ It was Thomas all right.

"Hello, Thomas. It's Fiona" Irvine's voice squeaked.

"_Oh, Miss Fiona! I'm glad to hear from you!"_

"Yes, it has been awhile indeed."

"_Well,"_ Thomas paused, "_I did just see you yesterday." _

Irvine mouthed 'Damn.' He frowned again, "Er, well, that was so long ago for me!"

There was silence on the other end, and then: "_Are you feeling ok? You sound like you have a, er, head cold."_

"I'm just fine thanks!" And before Irvine could say anymore, another voice came over the line.

"_Hello, Thomas!"_

"_Oh! Miss Fiona! Good morning! I was just . . . .WAIT! WHO IS THI—"_

Irvine slammed the receiver down and Moonbay fell over laughing.

* * *

It took the jury a month to convict Alex Kuro. All the presented evidence was used. The dogs that attacked Irvine and Moonbay were Kuro's. The damage on the Zoids was convincing; no other person had a Dark Spiner besides Alex. But the evidence that closed the case was the video tape. Although the trial was a success, Irvine felt extremely uneasy with the results. 

Alex Kuro was sentenced to nine years in jail. He was stripped of his rank and all honors. But after those short years, he would be a free man and regain his life. Irvine nearly pummeled the judge and jury while the verdict was read. His voice rang through the hall, screaming about how Kuro threatened and almost killed Moonbay, even though he had received most of the blows.

Moonbay grabbed his arm and yanked him down before the security guards ushered the angry mercenary out.

So, that was it.

They nearly get killed and the man only gets nine years. Somehow, Moonbay felt cheated. Was the jury influenced by his position? Most likely, and Moonbay knew it.

Her fingers gripped the hard bench she sat on. With a heavy breath, Moonbay opened up her eyes. It was over. She smiled.

Collecting herself, Moonbay stood up and walked over to a sulking, bandaged, mercenary—her finance. "It was as we expected Irvine, no need to pout."

"It doesn't stop me from being pissed." He looked at her and whispered, "He almost killed you, Moonbay."

She pushed him to the door, "But he didn't. We can move on now." With that sentence said, Moonbay stepped out the door and was greeted with a furry of snow.

Light, puffy snowflakes pranced about the sky. It was hard to see 50 feet in front of the building the snow was falling so thick.

The whole world was white, like it was trying to erase all the bad that had happened during the last few months. The struggles, the pain, and the suspense were gone.

Moonbay threw her arms up in the air and spun around once. It was time to go home, well, as 'home' as they could go. Maybe they could visit Van and Fiona for awhile and tell them the news. She could finally relax.

What was Moonbay thinking? She had a wedding to plan! Invitations had to be made, arrangements had to be done. Moonbay was just leaving one adventure for another.

"Are you ready to go?" Irvine watched her with an amused look.

"Ready as ever." Moonbay came to him and brushed the large flakes off his shoulder. She murmured," Let's go home" as she kissed him in the white rain.

* * *

Gah, it's finally done. 

Was this one of my better chapters? Eh, I'd say not. But, that is not the point. It's finally done, I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave any comments.

Reviews are welcomed! Thanks in advance.–randomcat23


End file.
